It was a trial the plaintiff's team said ushered in a "miraculous" discovery: that online litigation doesn't have to mean jurors lose their connection to a case.

"Now, there's not a whole lot to keep them [insurers] from doing whatever the heck they want to do because there's not going to be any legal recourse against them, so long as the mortgage is being paid," the homeowner's attorney said.

The ruling hinged on the maritime doctrine of 'uberrimae fidei,' which says boat owners have a duty to 'fully and voluntarily disclose' all material facts.