3
350DRIVER
There’s no smoke without fire
Of the few times you made have made an insurance claim, if at all, you probably wondered how the insurers small print would limit you.
One man in North Carolina worked the small print to his advantage, when having purchased a box of very rare, very expensive cigars he insured them against fire and other damage. After having enjoyed smoking the cigars he put in an insurance claim stating that the cigars were lost “in a series of small fires”.
Naturally, the insurance company refused to pay, as the man had smoked the cigars in the normal way. However the man sued and won because the judge ruled that the insurance company had guaranteed that it would insure against fire without defining what is considered to be “unacceptable fire”. Although the Judge recognised the claim was frivolous, in law, he had to order the Insurer to pay the claim.
However, the Insurer had the last laugh when the ‘Cigar Man’ cashed his $15,000 claims cheque - they had him arrested on twenty-four counts of arson.
3 5 0
Of the few times you made have made an insurance claim, if at all, you probably wondered how the insurers small print would limit you.
One man in North Carolina worked the small print to his advantage, when having purchased a box of very rare, very expensive cigars he insured them against fire and other damage. After having enjoyed smoking the cigars he put in an insurance claim stating that the cigars were lost “in a series of small fires”.
Naturally, the insurance company refused to pay, as the man had smoked the cigars in the normal way. However the man sued and won because the judge ruled that the insurance company had guaranteed that it would insure against fire without defining what is considered to be “unacceptable fire”. Although the Judge recognised the claim was frivolous, in law, he had to order the Insurer to pay the claim.
However, the Insurer had the last laugh when the ‘Cigar Man’ cashed his $15,000 claims cheque - they had him arrested on twenty-four counts of arson.
3 5 0
