Lawyer wins $11 million from Allstate
Allstate Insurance Company rountinely contracted with Attorney Suzanne Guest to represent the company against accident claims – nothing unusual there. As part of the the agreement, Allstate also contracted to defend the attorney against actions filed against the attorney by Allstate customers – again nothing unusual there.
But when two accident victims sued both Allstate and the attorney, Allstate decided to not provide representation to Guest – big mistake and Guest sued Allstate.
A district court jury in New Mexico awarded the attorney nearly $11 million on her claim that Allstate had ruined her legal practice.
It seems that when Allstate refused to defend Guest and Guest decided to sue Allstate, she had to give up all ther Allstate cases because there was a confilct of interest. And, apparently, her entire practice was composed of representing Allstate.
The jury deliberated for only about five hours before coming to a verdict and Guest was awarded $1.8 million in compensatory damages and $9 million in punitive damages.
Allstate will likely appeal and try to get the verdict overturned.
About The Author:
Attorney Edward A. ("Ted") Bills can be reached at 719.444.1000 or at http://www.SpringsAttorney.com.
Attorney Ted Bills has one mission – to fight for the rights of personal injury victims and those who have been devastated by the misconduct of others – he represents clients with an aggressive approach designed to provide SWIFT justice.
Attorney Bills is a member of the American Bar Association, the Colorado Bar Association, the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, and the
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