Shernoff Bidart Echeverria Bentley Pursues Insurance Bad Faith Suit Against Progressive
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorneys Howard S. Shernoff and Samuel L. Bruchey of Shernoff Bidart Echeverria Bentley LLP are set to augment the insurance bad faith lawsuit against Progressive which they recently filed in LA Superior Court. The suit alleges that Progressive, which uses marketing slogans such as "Now that's progressive" and "Find your perfect auto policy," abuses its customers and uses invasive tactics when the company is faced with paying claims.
In the complaint (Jeffrey Blackman, et al v. Progressive Direct Insurance Company), Progressive Insurance is charged with using "systematic bad faith claims-handling practices ... and delays and denies valid automobile and motorcycle theft and vandalism claims as a calculated component of its corporate culture."
"Progressive shows little to no respect for its customers or their privacy," said Shernoff. "This suit seeks to hold the company accountable for taking advantage of people and purposely treating them as the enemy. These actions are in no way progressive."
The lawsuit accuses Progressive Insurance of the following behavior:
- Targeting vulnerable claimants, especially those of minority ethnicities who do not speak English as a first language, for protracted, Inquisition-style claims investigations that invariably end in unwarranted denial.
- Requesting such private and/or irrelevant information as federal income tax returns, W-2 forms, court records arising from all divorces, partnership agreements, bank statements, phone bills, cable bills and original bank deposit books.
- Denying the claims without providing the claimants with a clear explanation and legal basis for the denials.
While the lawsuit is not a "class action," it does involve multiple plaintiffs, who all endured the same mistreatment by Progressive. According to the suit, each plaintiff cooperated meekly for months with seemingly endless and improper requests for documents, records, recorded statements and examinations under oath.
Shernoff said that since originally filing the lawsuit in February of this year, he has received dozens of inquiries from other disgruntled Progressive policyholders. He plans to amend the lawsuit in the coming weeks to add additional plaintiffs.
For more information about Shernoff Bidart Echeverria Bentley LLP, please visit our website: www.shernoff.com.
SOURCE Shernoff Bidart Echeverria Bentley LLP
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