B.S. of A.’s Matt Fisher Details Insurance Nightmare: ‘The Guy Who Killed My Sister Was Defended By Progressive’s Legal Team’
- Posted on August 14, 2012 at 11:30am by
Billy Hallowell
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UPDATE: See the update — a statement from Progressive — at the bottom of this story.
GBTV’s Matt Fisher (”The B.S. of A.“) is making headlines after posting an article on his Tumblr page entitled, “My Sister Paid Progressive Insurance to Defend Her Killer In Court.” Fisher is a comedian, but his sister’s tragic story is no laughing matter. While Progressive, a company known for providing auto and home insurance, touts its supposed “concierge level of claims service,” Fisher paints a very different picture.
Matt Fisher (left) and Brian Sack (right) (Photo Credit: GBTV)
In what can only be described as an insurance nightmare elevated to the highest level, Fisher writes about his sister, Katie, and her 2010 death, which was the result of a car accident. The incident, which he claims had very clear and obvious fault, involved a driver running a red light and fatally hitting Katie’s vehicle. While a settlement came very quickly after her death, it wasn’t much, as the driver at fault was under-insured.
Now, here’s where it gets interesting: Katie’s policy, Fisher explains, would have required that Progressive, her insurer, pay the difference in funds. She had apparently paid for this form of insurance in case someone who was under or uninsured ever hit her (a sad reality that inevitably came to fruition). When this happened, the family assumed the situation would be rectified, but this was far from what unfolded. Fisher explains:
At which point we learned the first surprising thing about Progressive: Carrying Progressive insurance and getting into an accident does not entitle you to the value of your insurance policy. It just pisses off Progressive’s lawyers. Here I address you, Prospective Progressive Insurance Customer: someday when you have your accident, I promise that there will be enough wiggle room for Progressive’s bottomless stack of in-house attorneys to make a court case out of it and to hammer at that court case until you or your surviving loved ones run out of money.
Which is what Progressive decided to do to my family. In hopes that a jury would hang or decide that the accident was her fault, they refused to pay the policy to my sister’s estate.
Out of a sense of honor, and out of a sense of the cost of my sister’s outstanding student loans, my folks opted to try to go after the money through legal channels. At which point they learned another delightful thing. In Maryland, you may not sue an insurance company when they refuse to fork over your money. Instead, what they had to do was sue the guy who killed my sister, establish his negligence in court, and then leverage that decision to force Progressive to pay the policy.
Photo Credit: GBTV
This seems horrible enough in itself, but the worst part of the scenario hasn’t even been explained yet. See, while Fisher’s parents had no urge to go after the other driver (they recognized that the death, though tragic and avoidable, was accidental), they were forced to do so in order to receive the monies owed to them.
After failed attempts to get Progressive to settle for what the family deemed a reasonable sum, the case went to trial. But we’ll let Fisher tell you the most appalling element of all:
At the trial, the guy who killed my sister was defended by Progressive’s legal team.
If you are insured by Progressive, and they owe you money, they will defend your killer in court in order to not pay you your policy.
At the end of the court battle, Fisher says that the jury found the other driver to be negligent, but he describes it as extremely difficult for both him and his parents. While the comedian hopes that Progressive will finally honor his sister’s policy, he seems skeptical that the company will finally make good on it.
For anyone wondering why Progressive would defend the man who killed Fisher’s sister, consider this: Had the man been found not responsible or negligent, then no one would have had to pay the family following the death. Either way, a court finding that solidified that the individual was at fault would inevitably fall back on Progressive, forcing them to eventually honor Katie’s policy.
Photo Credit: GBTV
Thus, it was beneficial to the insurer to defend the individual who hit her to ensure that they would not eventually have to pay out monies in the case (remember, the individual who killed Katie was under-insured from the start).
Fisher concluded his piece by encouraging people not to purchase insurance from the company. “When the chips are down, your money will have bought you nothing but a kick in the face,” he says.
When approached on social media about the situation, on Monday, Progressive took an odd stance. Rather than ignoring those individuals who were angry over the incident or issuing one, solid statement and linking out to it, someone at the company sent the same, repetitive tweet out (16 times, in fact) to numerous individuals. It read:
This is a tragic case, and our sympathies go out to Mr. Fisher and his family for the pain they’ve had to endure. We fully investigated this claim and relevant background, and feel we properly handled the claim within our contractual obligations. Again, this is a tragic situation, and we’re sorry for everything Mr. Fisher and his family have gone through.
Here’s a screen shot of some of these repeat messages:
It will be interesting to see how Fisher responds to Progressive’s Twitter claims.
In March, TheBlaze highlighted chairman of Progressive Insurance Company Peter Lewis and his connections to liberal billionaire George Soros, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other leftist causes. At the time, Lewis decided to step down from the Democracy Alliance, a club comprised of major liberal donors.
UPDATE #1: Around 2 p.m. today, Progressive issued the following update to the story:
I’d like to take this opportunity to explain Progressive’s role in this complex case. First and foremost, our deepest sympathies go out to Kaitlynn Fisher’s family.
To be very clear, Progressive did not serve as the attorney for the defendant in this case. He was defended by his insurance company, Nationwide.
There was a question as to who was at fault, and a jury decided in the Fisher family’s favor just last week. We respect the verdict and now can continue to work with the Fisher family to reach a resolution.
Chris Wolf
Claims General Manager
Progressive
UPDATE #2: Despite a denial of assisting the individual responsible for the death, a simple search for court documentation shows that Progressive was given permission to participate on the side of the defense back in May 2011. The document reads:
It is this 19th day of May, 2011, by the Circuit Court For Baltimore City, hereby ORDERED
1. That Progressive Advance Insurance Company be and is hereby allowed to intervene as a party Defendant.
2. That Progressive Insurance Company is GRANTED all rights to participate in this proceeding as if it were an original party to this case.
This story has been updated.
(H/T: Gawker)
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Comments (382)
quackertwo
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 12:30pmThis is another COMMUNIST company backing BO. DROP them NOW if you LOVE this country Also AARP is another company that is progressive right along with them. Drop them also!
Report Post »mtcountrygrl
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 12:35pmProgressives are only generous with other people’s money!
Report Post »kalli
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 12:43pmYour are correct on both accounts. I dropped AARP the summer of 2008 as I saw the writing on the wall. A wonderful company called AMAC got my business, and took a lot of the business away from AARP.
Report Post »blackyb
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 12:48pmI have suspected this about Progressive, just due to the name, but have not done research to state one way or the other, but the above case is enough to add weight to my suspicions.
Report Post »As for AARP: They are users of the elderly. Donators to the Communist left. Overall I would say AARP is not good for anyone except the demon crats.
DatabaseSue
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 1:00pmWe had a Progressive policy – had a fire that totalled the home – they didn’t want to pay the amount of coverage we had been paying for. We complained to Indiana Dept of Insurance – they then all of a sudden decided to pay us. Don’t recommend Progressive to anyone!!!
Report Post »buttpatriot
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 1:06pmwe need a public option
Report Post »PATTY HENRY
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 1:29pm@ QUAKERTWO: Agreed 100%. First of all PROGRESSIVE is a name I get nauseated just hearing, second AARP is totally in the LIBERAL POCKET. I hope this gets plenty of publicity. I am sorry for the Fishers. How frustrating it must be… a person pays their insurance; person gets involved in accident; the insurance company that they paid annual or monthly premiums to rolls over them and defends the other party to the accident. Let people know about this. AARP like all liberals, lie about everything and they also make up facts. THEY have lost thousands of members but refused to admit it. It is positively scary how many of these once balanced, decent entities have been METHODICALLY over-taken by Soros type Flaming Liberals! Every where they can, with saying anything they can, doing all they can to undermine the integrity of America. This insurance case should never have happened this way. WE can and must do BETTER! IF anyone knows the alternative Senior Association like AARP, please post it. Thanks.
Report Post »WILL_OF_LANDREW
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 1:31pmI always knew Flo d ho was no good! Yeah plug us into your car so we can track your every move and use it against you.
Report Post »Maji
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 1:32pmWant some of the same treatment???
See your “State Farm” agent for your Home Owners.
Why do you think state farm has had such a up tick in commercials!!
All the people they’ve screwed a few years ago is coming back to haunt them!!
Report Post »rangerp
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 1:41pmyea, and those commercials with that bubble head girls just annoy the crap out of me. Stick with that little lizard guy. At least he is funny.
Report Post »rambosharley
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 1:56pmI have never had Progressive Ins. Never did like that name!
Report Post »yougottabekidding
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:13pmProgressive, Progressive
Where have I heard that word before?
Report Post »Sounds about right!
the_system_disconnect
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:43pmI’m glad I have USAA for car insurance.
Report Post »Mo Better
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:48pmI worked for Progressive once —- for 4 1/2 days! Proof positive that if you can’t be thankful for what you have, be grateful for what you have avoided…..
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:52pmPROGRESSIVES… just never seem to realize… that everyone gets Fluked by Liberals!
Report Post »Pearsontech
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 3:00pmWith a name like Progressive what do you expect? Nice to know that this is how the conduct business… I don’t have them and never have and can bet you I never will either.
Report Post »Stu D. Baker-Hawk
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 3:04pmFlo, say it ain’t so…!
Report Post »IsThereADifference
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 3:21pmMitt Romney is a PROGRESSIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Do you sheep REALLY not realize this. This countries citizens are in LALA LAND! WOW!
Report Post »Hickory
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 3:23pmGeico is the same way. Both are partly owned by Warren Buffet. I once had to sue them. I won but, I lost because they bought off my lawyer. I couldn’t prove it but, I actually lost money winning the law suit. Geico is a rotten company.
Report Post »cosette
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 3:36pmYou are 100% correct in your assessment and spot on with your advice. Both companies are beneath contempt. I dropped HBO for much less. DO IT!
Report Post »jcldwl
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 3:47pmabsolutely don’t use progressive. Their name tells it all. And so right about AARP they sold out seniors for obama care.
Report Post »rt elms
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 3:51pmAny company that spends so much on TV advertising has to make up the shortfall somewhere. Who knew it would be by denying rightful claims?
Report Post »ChildOfTheKing
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 4:10pmI dropped AARP as well, when I found out that my money and other people‘s money went towards Obama’s campaign. I ALSO CALLED THEM AND TOLD THEM WHY I WAS DROPPING THEM!
They DID NOT CARE!
I now have AMAC! Anything that has to do with Obama, I WILL NOT SUPPORT as I am so PO’d at this administration, sometimes I can’t think straight. But, I do know this, ANY COMPANY WHO TAKES YOUR MONEY TO SUPPORT A CANDIDATE OF ***THEIR*** CHOICE – JUST LIKE THE UNIONS DO, should be SUED! Better yet, drop them NOW!!!!
Here ya go:
Report Post »http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/contrib.php?cid=N00009638
Here‘s an interesting list of Obama’s donors:
http://newsmeat.com/campaign_contributions_to_politicians/donor_list.php?candidate_id=P80003338
Too_Far_Gone
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 4:13pmI dumped these jackasses years ago when I found out who they donated to ..
If your’re a True American , do some research and dump them too if you have them, it’s worth the 20 mins ..
Report Post »oneshiner
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 4:40pmWe dumped AARP years ago and I’ve been so happy with that decision. The Progressive is too much like one of obama’s buzz words and I feel very uncomfortable when I hear it, and I instantly think negative thoughts about WHO and WHAT obama is. Can’t believe a word of those ads because of that name. This story seems to confirm it, plus other comments here.
Report Post »spotcoon
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 5:05pmWhy are there so many Progressive Insurance Co commercials being aired at all hours, on all stations? — Wasn‘t the company’s president ver-r-y influential with donations to obama’s 2008 campaign coffers?
By purchasing that insurance are conservatives inadvertently contributing to obama’s minions?
I believe there are millions of people who don’t want their money laundered toward this blundering presidents wallet.
It could be the perfect crime, in that, stations like FOX , et al. garner copious amounts of revenue from Progressive’s ads—Ergo, news outlets who air the commercials are tongue-tied to report this probable abuse.
(first posted about 2 week ago)
Report Post »Trollkiller68
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 5:13pmStingy greedy Barack only bought 10 beers? Where’s that generosity with other peoples money now?
Report Post »Anonymous T. Irrelevant
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 5:15pmA 55 year-old juvenile, riding a motorcycle, rear-ended my Jeep Grand Cherokee at a stop-light, because they and their gang were going o a buddy‘s funeral and didn’t feel as if they had to stop at those pesky red lights. He had Progressive insurance. I suspect he was drinking and he is lucky (and I am glad) that it didn’t hurt or even kill him. I stopped for the light, he tried to swerve around me, but couldn’t and rear-ended me. I had to stay in my car, because the tail end of the gang’s bitches were accusing me of trying to kill him. His piddly insurance wasn’t going to cover the damage he did to my Jeep. I was lucky that I had held off getting some other insurance work done, that I was able to rent a car using State Farm (my insurance) which helped me save money and able to get the work done to fix the damage caused by the infantile grown-up. I will NEVER buy Progressive insurance and I steer anyone I know who is looking for insurance away from them.
Report Post »Bluefish49
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 5:52pmKALLI….i did the same thing….anything that comes in my mail box or e-mail from either AARP or Progressive Insurance goes right to the trash can….no exceptions.
Report Post »bernbart
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 5:56pmYou people are complete idiots, This is a company has nothing to do with progressive politics.
Report Post »sillyfreshness
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 6:31pmI guess their name Progressive isn’t just a name. It’s their leftist core. I didn’t realize they were tied to “chosen people” Bolshevik billionaire of the NWO George Soros.
Report Post »rangerp
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 6:32pm@IsThereADifference
So, basically the choice is for progressive light, or socialist heavy.
Progressive light claims he will stop Obama care, he is anti abortion, not for gay marriage, was not for ending DADT (nor was his VP), he actually worked successfully outside of government before, and has run a business. While he is not Tea Party, he will be more likely to be influenced by the Tea Party.
Socialist Heavy ended DADT, forced government healthcare down our throat, Is pro gay marriage, is anti business (you did not build that), fired the CEO of GM, got our credit rating downgraded, and if given four more years, will drive us over the cliff at a rapid pace.
Sounds like an easy choice for anyone with an ounce of common sense. Plug your nose with one hand, and pull the lever for progressive light with the other.
Report Post »damnedifwedont
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 7:11pmBoycott this ‘progressive’ pos company. I,and everyone I know will.
Report Post »Come on,November 5th!
Thomas_Jefferson
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 7:15pmPeter B. Lewis. Founder & CEO of Progressive insurance is a Socialists & close friend of George Soros. He is a major contributor to America Coming Together, MoveOn.org & the ACLU.
Report Post »Contrarian51
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 7:33pmAs an adjuster for over 32 years, I will tell you that, based on what I can see from what is written here, Progressive was merely following the law as it exists in many states. On a number of fronts, I have no use for Progressive but in this case, they did nothing that any other insurance carrier wouldn’t do, and, in fact, they were legally obligated to do what they did. And no, entering the case as a party defendant is not the same as defending the at-fault driver. Progressive had a financial interest in the case and had an obligation to themselves and all of their other policyholders to participate in the case.
You can thank your state legislators, state supreme courts and state insurance departments and regulators when you run into situations like this that are, on the surface, incomprehensible.
My sympathies to the Fisher family. Few of us (thankfully) can truly understand what they are dealing with.
Report Post »t00nces2
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 8:01pmWhat really creeps me out is that thing they want you to plug into your car so they can track your driving. The worst thing is the 1984 commercial they use to try to convince you to use it.
2+2=5
Report Post »Seede
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 8:25pmThe Billionaire, Peter Lewis, is the founder and chairman of Progressive Insurance and yes he is a progressive Obama backer. He is so far left that he is no longer in the ball park but then most all American filthy rich are the same way. The only love they have is themselves and money. Of course the power comes with the money. Very sick bunch of people.
Report Post »flagbearer
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 8:45pma terrible company, along with AARP–you’re stupid if you belong to either one
Report Post »NHwinter
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 9:07pmAflac is a good American company. Glenn Beck advertises an alternative to AARP, but I can’t remember the name. They are against Obamacare and very conservative. Does anyone know the name of the company he advertises?
Report Post »jzs
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 9:36pmquackertwo says, “This is is another COMMUNIST company backing BO.” Quacker, like most here you’re liittle unclear on the concept confused about the words “communist” and “capitalist.” The company trying to make money any way it can? That would be a “capitalist” company.
The idea that this insurance companies name “Progressive” means it’s run by liberals is about is stupid as it gets, but I doubt many here actually believe that any more than that Mobil Oil has that name because they store oil in Mobil homes. Whatever, to the point.
I really appreciated Contrarian51′s post, although he may not agree with me. Sorry to shatter the idealist views of many here, but the priority of insurance companies is not your health, it’s making as money as possible. Every dollar they give you for a claim is a dollar off of their bottom line.
For example, even if you have had insurance for twenty years and you develop a serious condition like cancer, the insurance company can simply drop your insurance rather than cover your treatment. Oh wait, sorry, the can’t do that anymore because of the ACA. If your child is born with a condition, sorry, tough, not covered because that’s a pre-existing condition. Oh wait, insurance companies can’t do that anymore.
Paying for medical insurance is a gamble. If you don’t have it and get really sick, you’ve lost the farm, or you can just die. If you have it, you may get more than you paid out. But the insurance compan
Report Post »swamp_donkey
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 9:39pmha ha hja ha , gop is the party of corporations my friend , corporations are people according to romney
Report Post »burtontd76
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 10:38pmi have usaa for my van but they dont insure motorcycles, they subcontract to rogressive. i am already paid up till march of next year, at which i think ill be changing insurance on the bike to someone else. anyone know who will give me a fair deal on motorcycle insurance???
Report Post »CultureWarriors
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 12:01amWe should do a denial of service protest on them … We should all call progressive, tie up there operators with endless questions about there products just so they’re too busy to write any real business. Know who you are doing business with. If you do business with companies like AARP, GE, Progressive, etc … your money is going to support liberal politicians who are destroying America. Not to mention their disgusting and dishonest business practices. What do you expect from liberals? Integrity? If you do you’ll never get it. A liberal is completely devoid of integrity!
Report Post »blazer809
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 1:48amAbsolutely!!!!!!
Report Post »Bamabelle
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 2:07amI remember when Katrina hit and all those insurance people would not pay. Nationwide was paying but that State Farm…they were crap. We got rid of them long ago when our house burned down right after we moved and they said because we didn’t sign a piece of paper when we moved they were liable. It was freaking renters insurance. They were happy about it too. Big grins on their faces and yes we had to sue the people who owned the apartment house but were not allowed to sue the insurance company. We went through a couple of other companies and ended up with Nationwide and haven’t looked back. they are the best.
Report Post »taethne
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 6:46amI wish there were enough people, who have convictions of what is right, to drop Progressive so it has a significant impact on their bottom line. I say we either speak up, do something, or shut up.
Report Post »Geowchap
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 7:07amVery sad story.
Report Post »USAA is the only way to go.
One of the true benefits for veterans.
CABERNETQHS
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 7:34amHA! I wondered if they were a commie progressive company! The name is probably a ploy to get us
Report Post »de-sensitized to the word. Soros and his little demons are very sneaky.
ipadguy
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 8:04amWe conservatives have been preaching court reform for years. This happens in practically every industry nowadays. This is BO’s & the Democrates example of “fairness”…where we all play by the same rules. Level the playing field where we all have a fair shot.
Report Post »I love Flo in Progressives ads, they hit a home run with this campaign. BUT…as in all fancy polished advertising, it cleverly disguises who they really are and they don’t deliver on what they promised.
Does this remind you of anyone else…? Hummm?
mersey
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 8:18amI don‘t care who’s running Progressive Insurance. Just the name of it gives me the creeps.
Report Post »Hollywood
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 2:47pmSeems the self hating Hugarian Jew, Soros, has his grimey fingers into just about everything, that is dishonorable, underhanded,unethical,immoral etc. He is very much like his father-THE DEVIL!
Report Post »BannedByHuffpo
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 12:19pmBut “Flo” is so darn cute and witty and convincing! Dang chicks will trick you every time!
Report Post »The_Jerk
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 1:09pmShe is a redhead… you missed the clue!
Report Post »Paulhgreenbay
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 1:37pm@The_Jerk – Would that be gingers have no souls?
Report Post »Too_Far_Gone
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 4:31pmHey Flo, nice lips ..
Report Post »Walkabout
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 5:22pmFlo was cute, very cute. Now it just comes across as smarmy. I am not sure that it is because of Progressive’s politics or overexposure. Probably a some of both.
Report Post »GaltLine
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 5:41pmFlo might have grounds to sue Progressive for using her image in the tweets that will damage her prospects of being hired by other advertisers in the future.
Report Post »Raging_Waters
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 12:59am“Don’t go with the Flo.”
Report Post »crisnick
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 6:32pm@The_Jerk: What’s wrong with redheads? Your natural hair color says nothing about your trustworthiness. This coming from a ginger — wait — on South Park I would be a daywalker because I can still go out into the sun and tan.
Report Post »bdandsl
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 12:18pmFirst thing on the agend would be to change the Maryland law prohibiting suing insurance companies. It’s the same with unions, can’t be held liable for violence, injury, harressment, threats or vandelism. Liberal laws protecting their own while hosing the American people.
Report Post »johnjamison
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 12:29pmTo me it sounds like there is a criminal case that can be brought against the Progressive legal team as they attempted to defraud a cliant via legally assisting the defendent to stop,their! client from collecting just compensation.
Report Post »Take that one to a jury and if any of those attorneys had to cross state lines to defend the party responsible of the young lady’s death THAT COULD TURN INTO A RICO/OGONIZED CORRUPTION CHARGE VERY QUICKLY
The_Jerk
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 1:13pmTort reform.
Report Post »Marine25
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:06pmTort reform? Tort reform as championed by the right for the last 30 years protects Progressive in this case. Tort reform is a fancy way of saying rewrite insurance and medical malpractice law to protect the defendants in punitive damage or malpractice suits. Conservatives rally support among their uneducated base by claiming it’s anti-lawyer legislation, and rednecks hate lawyers, right? Well there are lawyers on both sides of every case and current court law greases the skids only for those defending the largest of the parties.
Report Post »sWampy
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:42pmWe should just make it illegal to pay for legal advice, bam no reform needed. Let the state hire lawyers at minimum wadge to represent both sides equally, flip a coin to determine who gets which lawyer, loser pays all costs.
Report Post »johnjamison
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 3:14pmmarine25,
Report Post »Tort reform hasn’t been written so how can you say what effect it would have on this case. Tort reform is necessary BTW to stop trumped up law suits and legal extortion by civil attorneys.
SimpleTruths
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 5:34pmRepublicans pushed the bill to prevent Insurance companies from being sued. Just because something is out there that you don’t like, don’t assume libs were responsible. Those pesky facts just keep coming up don’t they.
Report Post »UpholderOftheConstitution
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 12:12pmWhat would you expect from a company called, Progressive? Glad I also switched to USAA!
Report Post »Roberto G. Vasquez
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 12:37pmAs soon as we found out about all the ultra-left-wing connections Progressive has, we cancelled our policies! It’s a crummy company run by crummy people. If you got em, dump em!
Report Post »JoJoStarbuck173
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:54pmI dumped them 8 years ago because of poor business practices when I had to deal with them. I had hoped that it was something out of the ordinary and have recently been thinking I should look into policies with them again. After learning of this, I will definitely never give another dime to Progressive.
Report Post »cookcountypatriot
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 12:09pmthats why you never ever ever purchase anything that has progressive in the name or progressives running the company…………………never!
Report Post »johnjamison
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 12:23pmsounds like a good policy
Report Post »Cry_Havoc
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 4:01pmNo more Progresso soup for you! Come back, never!
Report Post »thedirtmover
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 12:08pmThe name “ Progressive” should have been your first clue.
Report Post »Shasta
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 12:55pmUpon hearing their name, I sometimes pondered whether once the executives understood the negative connotations of the word ‘progressive’, they would change it, even if ever so slightly. Now I understand that this name was derived purposely. Their motto should be ‘We give you a kick in the face for being so stupid as to hire us”.
Report Post »jblovesAmerica
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 12:05pmPeter Lewis is the head of this organization. A very Left Wing Liberal.
Report Post »Not surprising he wont pony up.
He hates capitalists-being one of the biggest,must make him very angry-NOT!!!!!!!
Headquarters are in Mayfield Hts, Ohio(just east of Cleveland off I271
Phillip J Fry
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 12:02pmGlad I switched to USAA years ago.
Report Post »bbell37968
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 12:16pmPhillip, I have USAA as well (home, auto, life, umbrella), and I worked for them many years ago. Great company and insurance. Buuuuut… if you want to insure a motorcycle (I have two), an RV (have one), boat or other pleasure vehicle, you are referred to USAA’s General Agency, which is… Progressive! So, despite my desire to never carry any coverage with Progressive, the tie back to USAA led me to do so as a means to ensure that my umbrella policy terms are not violated. This awful story has made me question even that.
Report Post »mwkelley
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 12:37pmNot to be trivial in light of the tragedy in the Fisher family, but Progressive was a nightmare when we made a claim on our boat that sank. The organizational culture described in the article seems to permeate down to the onsite claims adjuster, who looked for every excuse not to pay out. Even with the boat manufacturer and boat surveyor denying his reasoning, the adjuster wouldn’t budge and welcomed legal action, the fees of which would have probably exceeded the value of the boat. I’ve taken my business elsewhere, and this article continues to make me glad I did. Sympathies to the Fisher family.
Report Post »westy98530
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 6:01pmAgreed. I‘ve been with USAA for as long as I’ve been in the service (about 9 years now). Since then I’ve had a personal property theft claim, and two parking lot hit-and-runs that I’ve filed claims for (one pretty significant). The hardest part of each of them was getting a police report. The cops always pitched a fit about adding to their statistics or whatever. USAA on the other hand was everything you’d hope an insurance company would be.
Report Post »kalli
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 12:00pmFor what it’s worth, the progressive owner and soros are good buddies, and it would not surprise me if you followed the money to find that progressive insurance is a soros company, especially with a name of progressive.
Report Post »USPATRIOT101
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 12:10pmI use to have e-surance, when Progressive bought them out I dropped my policy.
Report Post »USPATRIOT101
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 12:14pmCorrection——–It was allstates handling of home owner policies during our hurricane season that made me decide to leave e-surance. It was the Soros connection that made my mind up about Progressive.
Report Post »kalli
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 12:39pmUSPatriot: I was rear-ended, and the person’s insurance was allstate. They totally ripped me off on settlement of claim, and then had the audacity to ask if I would be interested in purchasing their insurance.
Report Post »DarthMims
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 1:19pmAllstate and Progressive are not the only rip-off insurance companies. I had State Farm insurance on my car about five years ago. My son borrowed my car to go to a friend’s house. While parked in the yard, a truck with a drunk driver ran off the road and rear ended my car (a low speed impact, but there was still damage.) At first State Farm did not want to pay because they said my son was driving and he was not listed on the policy, and not only did I have to explain to them that nobody was actually driving when the car was hit, my son was in fact listed on the policy. Then after getting two estimates for repairs, they said those estimates were too high and they would have to have their own estimator come out. His estimate was nearly $300 higher than the estimates I got. After a month of back and forth with State Farm, they finally sent me a check, along with a cancellation notice of my policy. Three years later when my son went to get insurance on his car, we found out that State Farm had listed the accident as my son’s fault on the insurers inside database where all insurance companies go to determine your rate, and we had to get copies of the police reports to prove otherwise. State Farm is a gang of crooks just like Progressive.
Report Post »Landon410
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:23pmdarth….
actually….. I would bet that this insurer that found your sons accident ran an ISO search, i do them everyday, they do not list “fault” just that your son had your car and had an accident, the provide very little to no information on what happened in the accident, but just that it happened, when with who, what companies etc.
as far as getting estimates and State Farm telling you they were too high, I would argue you misunderstood them. I know with the company that I work for (we only do commerical not personal insurance) that if a clmt brings me an estimate over $X I have to put eyes on the vehicle. I would bet that is the same policy State Farm had, and in your angry just misunderstood them. Now when the State Farm person saw it and wrote a higher estimate on it, of course the company is gonig to go with the lowest, and if a supplement comes then they’ll handle it then, but hedging the bets on trying to pay the least amount of indemnity possible.
State Farm is actually a very convserative company, and has some of the tightest self made guidlines for writing policies, they take on the least amount of risk possible so they can keep premiums as low as possible. On the contrary places liek those online only companies will take everyone and only provide FR limits and have high premiums compared to amount of coverage provided
Report Post »Small World
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 11:55amBuyer beware. Too bad someone had to die for the truth to come out. Never trust Progressives. Sympathy to the Fisher family.
Report Post »michael48
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 12:05pmthis pecker head lewis , who owns this POS ins. fraud, ponzi scheme outfit, is the biggest Prog/dem-wit in the country…big time supporter of the “affirmative IN-ACTION twit” chairman ocommie…and a azz sniffer to sorazz…nuff said…
Report Post »USPATRIOT101
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 11:53amIt’s very simple. Stop doing business with these companies and spread the word about their business practices. How do you think Progressive is able to create such lengthy tv comercials? Has anyone seen the little gadget they are promoting that , when istalled in your car will record and reward your “good driving habits”? This little devise is used to recored “all” driving habits so as to give them a reason not to pay a claim. Wake up folks.
Report Post »19RANDY59
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 12:17pmIt’s not just this company, most Ins. companies are like this.We are fools who have elected fools to govern. THE ONLY REASON WE NEED LAWYERS IS BECAUSE WE HAVE LAWYERS!!!
Report Post »Unbelievable
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 11:52amWith a name like Progressive they have got to be bad!!!
Report Post »kathleenlee
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 12:00pmActually the company was started by 2 progressives…only goes to show that progressives have no heart, just hate.
Report Post »wisehiney
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 11:51amMy wife had an auto accident last year, vehicle damage only. Insured by Progressive. Cost $4500 to repair the car. I had already told my independent agent that I wanted to go with another company after I discovered the facts about the weasel Peter Lewis. Upon renewal they sent a bill with a giant increase in premium. My agent switched me to another company for less than Progressive premium BEFORE the accident. Stuck the arseholes with the loss! HA HA HA HA HA!
Report Post »MaxMagician
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 11:48amThe technical term here is that Progressive is no longer operating in “good faith.”
Report Post »HKS
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 11:48amThis bunch is one to avoid at all cost, that name is not by accident, they are as progressive as it gets and their profits support progressive causes. Other than that they like any other insurance company and will do anything to get out of paying a claim.
Report Post »hatchetjob
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 11:48amIt doesn’t even pay to have insurance anymore. The insurance agents are raking in the bucks though.
Report Post »USPATRIOT101
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 12:08pmInsurance is extortion. Government mandates make it possible for them to screw the average consumer.
Report Post »Walkabout
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 5:27pmUSPATRIOT101′
Then you agree Obama care is extortion.
People cannot pick & choose their health care coverage. Well they can. It comes down to 100% of a fine when they catch you.
Put this way, I can choose to not have insurance to cover the replacement cost on my vehicle. I consider the blue book value of my car, the cost of the insurance versus my savings & driving habits. I choose not to have & save the money. Now Obama or another Democrat ever got into car insurance more bigger than government is now, then I would have to get that insurance.
Report Post »JenzNJazz
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 6:47pm@ Hatchetjob:
As a commercial insurance agent, I can assure you that most of us are NOT raking in the big bucks! I’m certainly not raking them in. Most insurance carriers pay anywhere from 8 to 15% in commission these days, and the agency retains the majority of that. Do you know how many sales need to take place each month to make a decent living? Figure it out!
As for Progressive, I never place my clients with them unless they have very poor driving records and/or accident history that prohibits them being insured by more reputable carriers. We consider Progressive to be a “last resort” company, and even then try to get our clients moved off of Progressive as soon as their records improve. Their rates, at least for commercial clients, are about triple that of other carriers. Progressive’s the one raking in the dough!
Report Post »Landon410
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 11:47amI am an commerical casualty claims adjuster, and I have ran into issue with Progressive in the past.
Report Post »I use a lot of case law in my claims, and present my findings to other companies to support my stance. Progressive in the past has decided they would rather ignore state law then pick up coverage.
Insurance companies don’t like to sue each other, it costs a lot, so we’re members of inter company arbitration, several of these cases go to an arbitrator where I always win them, but not we’re 2-3 months behind the 8 ball with getting Progressive to handle when they should have from the start.
HorseCrazy
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 11:45ammost insurance in this country needs to be done away with. my husband and I owned a large insurance brokerage for many years. we ended up selling after one of our carriers who I will not name, refused to pay a claim in a situation similar to this and had media coverage and a lot of snooping around via private investigater even attending the funeral. I just couldn’t sell these products with good conscience any longer to anyone. health, auto, life insurance any of it.
Report Post »RogueCop
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 12:00pmWithout insurance, our system would completely collapse. Not defending bad companies but without insurance, banks would not lend money. No one would be able to buy a car much less a home or business.
Report Post »DarthMims
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 1:32pmROUGECOP, I have to disagree with you. Without insurance companies people would have to actually face each other instead of letting hordes of lawyers scam the justice system. Think about it, if you had never heard of such a thing as insurance, and a guy came up to you and said, “Hey, Buddy, if you agree to give me $20 a week for the rest of your life, and you ever have an accident, I will consider giving you some of your money back, if my lawyers say it’s OK. Oh, by the way, state law says you have to do this or they are going to pull your license.” you would tell the guy what he could go do with himself.
Report Post »JoesyWales1
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 11:45amThe real problem is Lawyers,
Report Post »CatB
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 11:44amAnyone who reads this, has Progreessive Insurance, and doesn’t change insurance companies today .. will get what they deserve if anything happens to them or their families … I know who this owner of the company is (heck he named the company PROGRESSIVE!) and would never have this un-American insurance.
Report Post »JRook
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 11:43amGreat example of what mature capitalistic industries have accomplished in the US. Little real competition, little regulation that actually benefits the consumer (policy holder in this case) and because of the resultant excess profits, more than enough money to influence the political process on both sides of the isle. We have the best politicians money can buy on both sides of the isle. And who do you think can afford to buy them. Stop falling for the cheap pallor game of Republican v. Democrat and start seeing the real divide in the US. The wealthy, large corporations and bankers v. regular folk.
Report Post »face.chewer
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 12:48pmGood post, but no one will take off their blinders.
Report Post »pilgrimhere
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 3:53pm“Blinders” consist of prime time TV, pro sports, porn, religion, lottery, 2-party politics, newest technology, etc. in our faces from all angles accompanied by soothing voices to lull the mind if startled by some (rare) glimpse of reality. Any attempt to remove said blinders will result in vehement hosility. The end is inevitable and approaching fast. Will anyone even notice?
Report Post »ilevy57
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 4:09pmThis is croney capitalism and corrupt politicians. We are committed to vote them all out so the system can work the way it is supposed to. The American system as it was founded is still the best system in the world to allow people of all spheres of society to prosper.
Report Post »slayone
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 11:39amThats sad you should get what you paid for
Report Post »hatchetjob
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 11:51amI wonder how one of these Progressive Insurance Agents would like this fiasco to happen to them or one of their loved ones.
Report Post »Bill Wallace
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 11:38amI think the big problem here is with the Maryland Insurance Commissioner and with the Maryland legislature. They have no laws protecting the citizens, and instead have opted to protect companies.
Most everything else in the story sounds legit. Do we know who insured the at-fault driver? Was it…Progressive? If so, they had to defend the at-fault driver.
And contrary to the view of the guy whining, you pay for $100,000 UIM coverage…that is the ceiling, not the floor. You can’t have a small fender bender with an uninsured driver and come into a $100k windfall. Of course, in this situation it resulted in death, but there are a lot of missing facts as to why the claim may not be worth policy limits.
And another thing, it doesn’t matter if you have Progressive, Geico, Allstate, Liberty Mutual, Farmers, State Farm, or any other insurance carrier. They are ALL THE SAME.
Report Post »Ruthie3
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:38pmHave Geico as insurer. Had 2 claims in past 6-8 years. They were always fair, responsive, and easy to deal with. At this time, there is an “open” claim against our child and they keep us aprised of it every 3 months. It should go away, but we appreciate Geico handling it professionaly. No one was injured, but you never know what an ambulance lawyer will do.
Report Post »thom1
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 2:45pmIsn’t Maryland pretty much a liberal state. Well guess who gives more money to politicians the average Joe or the large insurance companies? Well then guess who they side with? Term limits would cure that BS in a hurry.
Report Post »Ravings of a lunatic planet
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 4:29pmBill Wallace sir, you are spot on! I live in Maryland as well and all the insurance companies suck. This under insured/non insured part of our policies stink……. A person hit me head on….100% her fault. Took me 2 years to collect from All State and my stinking Erie policy. What a nightmare this was for me. Cost me several thousand dollars…….OH by the way folks……….if your car is not able to be moved , tow the thing to your HOUSE. Because you will be stuck paying for the storage fee per day………you just never know how long the insurance companies will take to pay for anything even if it’s not your fault…………………..
Report Post »Kilmerfan
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 1:11amToo true Bill.
They are all the same animal.
Report Post »Chuck Stein
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 11:38amState Farm and Allstate have (or have had) similar modes of operation.
Report Post »BloodSweatandTears
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 1:08pmState Farm should be suspect as well? Who then, is any good?
Report Post »DarthMims
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 1:26pmState Farm is notorious for going that extra mile to make sure they don’t have to pay a claim. They are also vengeful backstabbers as they can put anything they want on the insurers inside database that all insurance companies use to determine your rate. They did this to me, and I had to get copies of police reports to prove that their lies were untrue.
Report Post »Chuck Stein
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 4:29pm@ Bloobsweatandtears
You might want to read the U.S. Supreme Court decision “State Farm v. Campbell” (538 U.S. 408 (2003)) — State Farm “won” in that case because it got a reduction in the punitive damages awarded by the trial court — BUT — the outrageous facts supporting punitive damages were well established.
Blaze — why did you bounce my earlier post on this? I left out the stuff on Allstate this time, so am I good?
Report Post »contkmi
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 11:34amGuess that‘s what happens when you try to take a socialist’s money. Peter Lewis must need the money after his big Obama donations.
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