A Big Settlement In A Bad-Faith Lawsuit Against Allstate
By Chris Mondics, The Philadelphia Inquirer | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
His car was disabled in the crash, so, as he sat in the driver's seat, his passenger
It was Hennessy's bad luck that a third car crashed into him, pinning him against the car he was trying to move off the highway. He suffered grievous injuries and, after weeks of treatment, his right leg was amputated just above the knee.
As an insurance claim, the matter was straightforward, said Hennessy's lawyer,
But after refusing even to confirm Caruso's coverage amount, Allstate twice refused to pay the claim.
Bad move on Allstate's part.
On
A short time after the verdict, Caruso assigned his right to seek redress from Allstate to Hennessy and his lawyers, and they filed a "bad faith" complaint against Allstate, alleging that the firm had engaged in impermissible delay tactics.
This week, the insurance company settled that claim for
"A young man with catastrophic injuries took on the largest insurer in America and won," said Casey, of the
As the original case proceeded toward trial, last
But Casey, who was prepared to settle for that amount early on, rejected the offer in a
"I have your letter," Casey wrote the Allstate lawyer. "Your offer is rejected. As the correspondence in this case will confirm, and as Allstate's internal files and depositions following the Hennessy verdict will further illustrate, Allstate frivolously and unreasonably . . . placed its interests above Caruso's."
Casey counter-offered, saying he would settle for
A few days later, Casey and his client won their big verdict, and the matter was settled Monday.
Hennessy, who was 24 at the time of the crash, has married and has a young daughter.
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