After a jury determined late last year that Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. acted negligently and in bad faith in denying a claim for the death of an auto accident victim, a federal judge has ordered the insurer to pay more than $8.1 million in damages.
More than $5.7 million of the judgment represents a state court jury award in a 2009 trial pitting the family of the deceased woman, Stacey Camacho, against the drunken driver who killed her.
Declined settlement
The court also will be awarding as-yet undetermined attorney fees because Nationwide turned down a 2011 offer to settle the case for $4.5 million. Under Georgia's offer of judgment statute, a party that declines a settlement offer and then loses at trial by at least 25% more than the rejected offer can be ordered to pay the other party's attorney fees accrued from the date of the offer.
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader
Your access to unlimited PropertyCasualty360 content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:
- All PropertyCasualty360.com news coverage, best practices, and in-depth analysis.
- Educational webcasts, resources from industry leaders, and informative newsletters.
- Other award-winning websites including BenefitsPRO.com and ThinkAdvisor.com.
Already have an account? Sign In
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
