A Charlotte, North Carolina lawyer purchased a box of very rare
and expensive cigars and then insured them against fire, among other things.
Within a month, having smoked his entire stockpile of these great cigars and
without yet having made even his first premium payment on the policy, the
lawyer filed claim against the insurance company. In his claim, the lawyer
stated the cigars were lost "in a series of small fires."
The insurance company refused to pay, citing the obvious reason
that the man had consumed the cigars in the normal fashion.
The lawyer sued.. and WON! (Stay with me.) In delivering the
ruling, the judge agreed with the insurance company that the claim was
frivolous.
The judge stated nevertheless, that the lawyer "held a policy
from the company in which it had warranted that the cigars were insurable
and also guaranteed that it would insure them against fire, without defining what is considered to be unacceptable fire" and was obligated to pay the claim.
Rather than endure lengthy and costly appeal process, the
insurance company accepted the ruling and paid $15,000 to the lawyer for his
loss of the cigars lost in the "fires".
NOW FOR THE BEST PART! After the lawyer cashed the check, the
insurance company had him arrested on 24 counts of ARSON!!!
With his own insurance claim and testimony from the previous
case being used against him, the lawyer was convicted of intentionally
burning his insured property and was sentenced to 24 months in jail and a $24,000
fine.
This is a true story and was the First Place winner in the
recent Criminal Lawyer's Award Contest.
and expensive cigars and then insured them against fire, among other things.
Within a month, having smoked his entire stockpile of these great cigars and
without yet having made even his first premium payment on the policy, the
lawyer filed claim against the insurance company. In his claim, the lawyer
stated the cigars were lost "in a series of small fires."
The insurance company refused to pay, citing the obvious reason
that the man had consumed the cigars in the normal fashion.
The lawyer sued.. and WON! (Stay with me.) In delivering the
ruling, the judge agreed with the insurance company that the claim was
frivolous.
The judge stated nevertheless, that the lawyer "held a policy
from the company in which it had warranted that the cigars were insurable
and also guaranteed that it would insure them against fire, without defining what is considered to be unacceptable fire" and was obligated to pay the claim.
Rather than endure lengthy and costly appeal process, the
insurance company accepted the ruling and paid $15,000 to the lawyer for his
loss of the cigars lost in the "fires".
NOW FOR THE BEST PART! After the lawyer cashed the check, the
insurance company had him arrested on 24 counts of ARSON!!!
With his own insurance claim and testimony from the previous
case being used against him, the lawyer was convicted of intentionally
burning his insured property and was sentenced to 24 months in jail and a $24,000
fine.
This is a true story and was the First Place winner in the
recent Criminal Lawyer's Award Contest.