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.
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Greg Land
Greg Land covers topics including verdicts and settlements and insurance-related litigation for the Daily Report in Atlanta.
