Lawyer Commits Insurance Fraud With Box of Cigars?
A Charlotte, NC, lawyer purchased a box of very rare and expensive cigars, 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! 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 to be considered as ‘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 $15,000.00 to the lawyer for his loss of the rare
cigars lost in the ‘fires.’
NOW FOR THE BEST PART...
After the lawyer cashed the cheque, 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 sentenced to 24 months in jail and a $24,000 fine.
This was almost the 1st place winner in the recent Criminal Lawyers Award
Contest… except that there is no such Contest... Ha, Ha – joe-ks on you!