Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Cigars & Arson



THIS IS THE BEST LAWYER STORY OF THE YEAR, DECADE AND PROBABLY THE CENTURY.


A Charlotte, NC lawyer purchased a box of very rare and expensive cigars, then insured them against fire, among other things.
Within a month, having smoked his entire stockpile of these great cigars and without yet having made even his first premium payment on the policy, the lawyer filed claim against the insurance company.In his claim, the lawyer stated the cigars were lost "in a series of small fires." 


The insurance company refused to pay, citing the obvious reason that the man had consumed the cigars in the normal fashion.The lawyer sued... And WON!


(Stay with me.)


After the lawyer cashed the cheque, the insurance company had him arrested on 24 counts of ARSON!!!With his own insurance claim and testimony from the previous case being used against him, the lawyer was convicted of intentionally burning his insured property and was sentenced to 24 months in jail and a $24,000 fine.



This is a true story and was the
 First Place 
winner in the recent Criminal Lawyers Award Contest.



Courtsey Suraj Janardhanan, Sydney

8 comments:

Shilpa Garg said...

Wow! Both the parties have been very smart and creative! :)

RGB said...

Unbelievable! Insuring cigars against fire?

Insignia said...

Oh dear!! Street smartness. One beat the other. Thanks for sharing

amalg999 said...

What puzzles me is : Is an insurance policy valid when even the first premium had not been paid ?
I was under the impression that the policy becomes valid ONLY after the premium is paid. So, also, any claims made during the time of overdue and unpaid premium, is not bound to be paid to the insured by the company. In such cases, the policy is invalid.

Pls clarify.

anilkurup59 said...

@ amalg999

The Policy is operational from the time you buy one and the first premium is due at a later time, I guess.

Balachandran V said...

My jaw dropped! Good read.

anilkurup59 said...

@ balachandran,

when we usurp there has to be our nemesis waiting around the bend!

scarlet pimpernel said...

unbelievable !!! vow !!