$11.7 Million

Insurance Bad Faith Settlement

The Case: In 2019, a 57-year-old woman was driving in Orangeburg County when she was rear-ended and suffered serious injuries. Injuries from the motor vehicle accident—which included a dislocated disc in her back and injuries to her knee, leg, and neck—put her out of work, saddled her with some $170,000 in medical expenses, and have left her with ongoing residual pain.

The Outcome: State Farm carried both the victim's underinsured motorist policy and the at-fault driver’s liability policy. Following the wreck, the underinsured motorist adjuster tendered the $50,000 policy limits, but the liability adjuster refused to do so. A lawsuit was promptly delivered. But the insurance company’s negligence didn’t end there. State Farm failed to hire legal representation and defend the lawsuit in a timely manner. That negligence caused a default judgment to be entered against the at-fault motorist. Finally, State Farm swiftly paid the $11.7 million settlement in response to an escalating time-sensitive demand sent by Yarborough Applegate founding partner David Yarborough.