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(Image source: Matt Fisher)
BY CHRISTINA HARTMAN
It started with a blog post that went viral.
In a Tumblr post earlier this week, Matt Fisher wrote about his sister Katie — who died
in a 2010 car accident. Matt writes, her insurance company, Progressive, paid to defend her killer.
WMAR: “About two years ago, a driver ran a red light and killed Matt Fisher’s sister
Katie. She was insured for $100,000. However, her family only received $25,000.”
In the post, Matt explains, the other driver was underinsured, so Progressive was on the
hook for the difference, and wasn’t paying. They said, it wasn’t entirely clear Katie
wasn’t at fault. And the family learned in Maryland, you can’t sue an insurance
company for that. So they had to sue the other driver to establish negligence.
CNN: “But in court, Progressive, my sister’s insurer, sat across the room. Their lawyer
argued for the defendant in the case.”
The story went viral this week, and now, Progressive says it’s reached a settlement with the
family. The family’s lawyer won’t confirm exactly how much.
But The Baltimore Sun notes it’s on top of the $760,000 the family was awarded by
a jury in Baltimore Circuit Court last week.
As for the reason Progressive provided legal assistance to the other driver, the company
says it was quote “defending our own interests” during the trial.