Did the insurance company Progressive try to sabotage a legal case involving a deceased client in order to avoid paying a claim?
That's the charge of Matt Fisher, 33, who says the insurance company not only refused to pay the policy of his sister, Kaitlynn, after she died in a car accident, but also acted as defense counsel for the defendant accused of killing her.
She died June 21, 2010, in Baltimore, when another driver ran a red light.
In a blog post last week, Fisher said that Progressive's attorney in the case sat next to the other driver during the trial, conferred with the defendant multiple times in and out of the courtroom and told the jury the defendant should not be found negligent.
Fisher also wrote "on direct examination, he questioned all of the defense's witnesses. He made objections on behalf of the defendant." In closing arguments, Fisher said the attorney said, "that my sister was responsible for the accident that killed her."
Progressive, in a written statement, told ABC News that it had not acted as the defendant's attorney in the case, but Fisher defended his assertion, saying, "I am comfortable characterizing this as a legal defense."
The jury found in favor of the Fishers last week, awarding them $760,000 in damages and Progressive must pay t minimum $100,000, the amount of Kaitlynn Fisher's policy, within 30 days, the news outlet reported. The family's attorney, Allan Cohen, said he was baffled by Progressive's behavior during the case.
"They were fighting against the person who paid them premiums," Cohen said. "Maryland law requires that an insurance company act in good faith as it works with its own insured, but "we question the good faith behavior of Progressive."
After the verdict, Progressive said in a statement that "we respect the verdict and now can continue to work with the Fisher family to reach a resolution."
Full story: ABC News
That's the charge of Matt Fisher, 33, who says the insurance company not only refused to pay the policy of his sister, Kaitlynn, after she died in a car accident, but also acted as defense counsel for the defendant accused of killing her.
She died June 21, 2010, in Baltimore, when another driver ran a red light.
In a blog post last week, Fisher said that Progressive's attorney in the case sat next to the other driver during the trial, conferred with the defendant multiple times in and out of the courtroom and told the jury the defendant should not be found negligent.
Fisher also wrote "on direct examination, he questioned all of the defense's witnesses. He made objections on behalf of the defendant." In closing arguments, Fisher said the attorney said, "that my sister was responsible for the accident that killed her."
Progressive, in a written statement, told ABC News that it had not acted as the defendant's attorney in the case, but Fisher defended his assertion, saying, "I am comfortable characterizing this as a legal defense."
The jury found in favor of the Fishers last week, awarding them $760,000 in damages and Progressive must pay t minimum $100,000, the amount of Kaitlynn Fisher's policy, within 30 days, the news outlet reported. The family's attorney, Allan Cohen, said he was baffled by Progressive's behavior during the case.
"They were fighting against the person who paid them premiums," Cohen said. "Maryland law requires that an insurance company act in good faith as it works with its own insured, but "we question the good faith behavior of Progressive."
After the verdict, Progressive said in a statement that "we respect the verdict and now can continue to work with the Fisher family to reach a resolution."
Full story: ABC News
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