Awarded Local Gas Station $4.5M
DECATUR, Texas (January 2019) – Trial lawyers with Boyd Powers Williamson (BPW) have secured a combined $4.5 million award against an insurance company and a contractor on behalf of a North Texas gas station and convenience store trying to get repairs made after a hail storm.
On Jan. 25, Wise County jurors returned a $2 million verdict against Argonaut Great Central Insurance Co., its claims adjuster Vericlaim Inc., and SF Construction finding them liable for fraud, deceptive trade practices, and failing to pay a claim in a timely manner. MLLCA, doing business as Kathy’s Shell station, after hail damage that required extensive repairs. Earlier that week, the Court leveled a $2.5 million judgment against SF Construction Services LLC and its owner/operator Frank Walley, sent by Argonaut and Vericlaim, for failing to properly perform and complete the repairs and for stealing the insurance claim proceeds.
“It is a sad day when good, hard-working people are taken advantage of by large insurance companies and claim adjusters. Faced with stall tactics and legal threats by these companies, small-business owners too often give up rather than taking the time and effort to fight for what is theirs,” said BPW lawyer Matt Meyer, who served as lead trial counsel along with firm name partner Allen Williamson. “It was our honor to represent MLLCA and to demonstrate through the great jurors in Wise County that we take these crimes seriously.”
The case is MLLCA v. Argonaut, Vericlaim, et al; Cause No. CV 17-01-057 in the 271st Judicial District of Wise County, Texas.
During the week-long trial, Mr. Meyer presented evidence that Kathy’s Shell suffered extensive roof and awning damage during a November 2015 hail storm and that the business’s longtime insurance provider, Argonaut, failed to promptly or adequately pay for the damages. The trial team also presented evidence that SF Construction Services did subpar repair work that significantly disrupted the Decatur service station and convenience store for two years.