Missouri Woman Suing Insurance Company for Alleged Bad Faith Claim

St. Charles, MO (PRWEB) August 19, 2013

A Missouri woman is battling her insurance company in court over its alleged refusal to pay coverage on a house fire that occurred to her home in January 2012. The woman’s now-former husband, convicted of arson to the second degree, set fire to the home while she was away on business, according to court documents filed August 28, 2012 in the Circuit Court of St. Charles County.

According to a court petition, the woman is claiming an alleged breach of contract for her insurance company’s refusal to cover damages to personal property, including a 1996 Lexus that was parked in the garage, that occurred as a result of the house fire. The ex-couple’s next door neighbors have additionally claimed damage to their residence resulting from the house fire and are currently seeking compensation.

Spencer Farris of the St. Louis-based S.E. Farris Law Firm is representing the homeowner in this case. “This poor soul lost everything as a result of one man’s crazed actions,” said Farris, “but laws are in place to protect the innocent, and we mean to see them upheld.”

The insurance company is arguing that coverage is allegedly excluded for intentional acts of illegal activities, as constituted by the state, and that damages to the vehicle cannot be covered under the issued auto policy because damage was not caused by automotive “accident, accidental upset or accidental collision,” according to court documents.    

As stated in a counterclaim filed on April 18th of this year, the insurance company’s denial of benefits to the defendant and her children is allegedly in violation of Missouri common law, which “prohibits an insurer from denying the claim of an alleged innocent co-insured on the basis of intentional acts of another insured so long as the innocent co-insured cooperates with authorities in any criminal prosecution of the person committing the act causing the loss.”

“Insurance is the back-up parachute that deploys when things go wrong, but this insurer let my client free-fall,” said Farris.

Founded by Spencer E. Farris in 2001, The S.E. Farris Law Firm represents injury victims and their families in Missouri and Illinois. The firm is experienced in successfully resolving cases for injury victims involving defective products, auto injuries, work-related injuries, wrongful deaths, medical malpractice, discrimination, insurance claims, and more.

Spencer E. Farris is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, a Missouri-Kansas Super Lawyer since 2005, and has been selected as one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Missouri by The National Trial Lawyers Association and the American Society of Legal Advocates. Farris serves on the board of governors for the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys and is also a member of The Justice Roundtable, The American Association for Justice, and numerous other organizations.

With the most recent successes of the firm, Farris has opened a new location in Sullivan, Missouri, where meetings with attorneys are by appointment only. The firm’s main office is in St. Louis, Missouri.

For more information about Spencer E. Farris, Attorney or The S.E. Farris Law Firm, visit http://www.FarrisLaw.net or call 314.252.9937.

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About The S.E. Farris Law Firm:
Located in St. Louis, Missouri, The S.E. Farris Law firm focuses is on the needs of injury victims, so clients benefit from: our decades of experience with the complexities of personal injury law, our expertise and solid track record preparing for, and presenting, in court, and our knowledge of the legal procedures and technicalities necessary to win cases. For more information, visit http://www.FarrisLaw.com or call 314.252.9937.

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