This week, a man brought to light a case of shocking greed and callousness by Progressive Insurance Company. In 2010, the man's sister was tragically killed when a driver ran a red light as she drove through an intersection. Because the driver was underinsured, the woman's estate was woefully undercompensated for this loss.
The woman's policy with Progressive covered her losses in the event that she was involved in an accident that was caused by an uninsured driver. Yet, instead of honoring this policy, Progressive chose to fight paying the policy in court. Specifically, Progressive interjected itself into a lawsuit filed by the woman's estate against the driver and tried to prove that the deceased woman, their client, was in fact at fault. Thankfully, the jury found the other driver negligent, which should result in Progressive finally paying the woman's policy.
It is utterly disgraceful that Progressive refused to pay the policy it rightfully owed when it could have spared a family, already grieving from the loss of a loved one, one less headache. Next time you see one of those frequent Progressive TV ads where they try to paint themselves as a friendly, compassionate company, I want you to think of this woman's poor family and the way Progressive treated them.
As a Chicago injury lawyer, one of the most fulfilling aspects of my job is fighting for my clients against powerful institutions, like Progressive, who are unwilling to provide fair compensation. Incidents like this one reinforce my belief that those in a position of power will almost try to bully “the little guy” instead of doing what is right.
