Lawyers for Travelers Auto Injury Claims

When Travelers Insurance inconspicuously left the travelers insurance industry in the early 1990s, you would have thought that this was a sign of weakness. This would be a mistake. You might have also thought that its failed marriage with Citigroup in the early 2000s portended trouble on the horizon. Again, you would be mistake. Today, on top of being one of the largest insurers in the world, it is also one of the largest companies. With offices all over the world, it generates tens of billions of dollars a year in revenue with the hands of thousands of employees and agents.

Thanks to the largess of Travelers Insurance, customers are able to purchase a variety of products and services from the financial services giant. When it comes to insurance, however, the company primarily offers three different lines:

• Personal: For the everyday customer, Travelers offers numerous insurance products for their car, home, personal property, and other items.
• Business: Travelers also offers a number of products for businesses including property insurance, workers’ compensation insurance, and casualty insurance.
• Specialty: Travelers providers a variety of specialized products for financial companies and processes, such as underwriting, financial crimes, and suretyship.

The ever-burgeoning face of Travelers Insurance has created tremendous exposure and that has in turn led to a large number of cases against it. What follows is a brief survey of jury awards and settlement amounts against it over the last ten years (since 2005). This should paint an accurate portrait of where plaintiffs have had success in extracting justice from Travelers.

Before delving into the specific successes and failures of plaintiffs across different categories of cases, it is noteworthy to point out that a higher percentage of cases (almost 25%) landed in federal court, rather than state court, than those against other insurance carriers. Of those that did fall into states, the most common topic of litigation was, not unexpectedly, insurance. However, other common issues were real property, securities issues, and labor disputes. Within the insurance category, the results are grim. 

Over seventy-five percent (75%) of all cases generated no jury award or settlement amount or one that was less than one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00). This is disheartening because typical bills for common accidents (for things such as medical bills, loss of work, property damage, etc.) can well exceed this amount. Of the remaining number of cases, approximately twenty percent (20%) recovered something more than one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00) but less than one million dollars ($1,000,000.00). The rest received more than one million dollars ($1,000,000.00). Here are some typical cases illustrative of issues and results of litigation against Travelers.

Riley v. The Travelers Home Insurance Company: In this 2014 Connecticut case, the plaintiff sued Travelers for refusing to pay him under his policy when a fire ostensibly caused by electrical problems destroyed his home. The town’s police department conducted an investigation and determined that it resulted from structural, electrical issues. Not content, Travelers also conducted an investigation, refused to release the results of that investigation, but still prohibited any payment under the plaintiff’s home insurance policy. The jury awarded him over one million dollars ($1,000,000.00) for his emotional damages and about that for his contractual, insurance claims. This case perfectly illustrates the important of legal counsel in forcing insurance companies to act as they should under your agreements with them.

In Re Smith: In this 2011 Nevada case, the plaintiff was outside his home helping his father take out the trash. Out of nowhere, a car came off the road and hit him, causing him severe injuries. These injuries in turn led to significant medical bills and he soon filed a claim under his uninsured motorist policy with Travelers Insurance. For a long time, Travelers tried to claim he was negligent and that evidentiary issues precluded recovery. However, with a lot of legal help, he was able to demonstrate he was not at fault and he was actually due and owing under his policy. This struggle eventually bore fruit as they settled for approximately twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000.00).

In Re Ramon: In this case from California, the plaintiff was driving with his family when a driver from the oncoming side swerved over and his car head-on. While the fault was clear, the extent of his liability was unclear. Plus, the defendant claimed that his eye contacts fell out and caused him to drive erratically, possibly diminishing his responsibility. However, thanks in large part to effective legal advocacy, the plaintiff was able to convince the defendant and his insurer-Travelers Insurance-that settlement was the best option and he received tens of thousands of dollars.

Fortunately, for plaintiffs in cases against Travelers Insurance in categories other than insurance, the results were a bit better. Only approximately sixty percent (60%) of them received sums less than one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00), compared to about seventy-five percent (75%) in insurance. The number of people recovering more than one million dollars ($1,000,000.00) nearly tripled the number of those in insurance litigation. Naturally, more received sums between one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00) and one million dollars ($1,000,000.00) as well.

Hopefully these stories and statistics are illustrative that recovering sizeable and meaningful jury awards or settlement amounts with Travelers is not easy. It requires a thorough understanding of the law and facts surrounding your case. Plus, while insurance companies like Travelers might be helpful under normal circumstances, they are not on your side, and cannot be counted on to protect your interests in tough times-especially litigation. You need zealous counsel on your behalf after your accident and leading up to a case or compromise. Contact Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers today to hear about how we have helped others and can help you!