My insurer wants a sworn statement — should I go alone?

Where the requirement comes from

The Civil Code provides that, at the insurer's request, the insured must disclose the circumstances of the loss, provide supporting documents, and attest under oath to the truth of the information provided (article 2471). A sworn statement is therefore not a formality the insurer invented: it is a legal obligation.

It does have a defined subject, however — information about the loss. It is not an examination of your whole life, and it is not a trial.

Why the interview matters so much

The statement is usually recorded or transcribed. It will then be compared with everything you have said elsewhere: your notice of loss, the police report, your emails to the insurer, your first conversations with the adjuster. It is the contradictions between those versions that fuel denials.

And any false statement forfeits the right to indemnity for the risk it relates to (article 2472). A guessed date, a value rounded up, or a detail reconstructed from memory can be presented as a lie, even without any intent to deceive.

Before: prepare

Reread your notice of loss, the police report if there is one, and all your correspondence with the insurer. Rebuild the timeline from documents, not memory.

Identify what you do not know for certain: that is where errors hide. Ask the insurer in writing what topics will be covered, whether the interview will be recorded, and whether you will receive a copy of the transcript.

During: answer the question asked

Answer the question, and nothing more. “I don't know” and “I don't remember” are legitimate answers when they are true — far better than an estimate presented as fact. Do not guess a date, an amount, or a time.

You can ask for a question to be repeated or rephrased. If you realise during the interview that an answer was inaccurate, correct it on the spot.

After: correct in writing

If you later discover an error in what you said, correct it promptly and in writing. A spontaneous correction shows good faith; a contradiction the investigator uncovers shows the opposite. Ask for a copy of your statement and read it carefully.

Your lawyer's role

Your lawyer prepares you, identifies sensitive topics in advance, keeps the questions tied to the loss, and can flag document requests that go beyond what the claim justifies. Above all, your lawyer keeps an exact record of what was asked and answered — which matters a great deal if the file ends in a denial.