Date: Thu, 10 May 2001 17:15:24 -0400
From: Six Train Stations
Subject: BLAGUES-L: The cigars


Date: Sun, 01 Nov 1998 18:38:27 -0600
From: Jeff Briere


A Charlotte, North Carolina man, having purchased a case of rare, very
expensive cigars, insured them against fire.

Within a month, having smoked his entire stockpile of fabulous cigars
and having yet to make a single premium payment on the policy, the man
filed a claim against the insurance company.  In his claim, the man
stated that he had lost the cigars in "a series of small fires."  The
insurance company refused to pay, citing the obvious reason that the man
had consumed the cigars in a normal fashion.

The man sued.  And won.

In delivering his ruling, the judge stated that since the man held a
policy from the company in which it had warranted that the cigars were
insurable, and also guaranteed that it would insure the cigars against
fire, without defining what it considered to be "unacceptable fire," it
was obligated to compensate the insured for his loss.  Rather than
endure a lengthy and costly appeal process, the insurance company
accepted the judge's ruling and paid the man $15,000 for the rare cigars
he lost in "the fires."

BUT WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES AROUND...

After the man cashed his check, however, the insurance company had him
arrested on 24 counts of arson!!  With his own insurance claim and
testimony from the previous case being used as evidence against him, the
man was convicted of intentionally burning the rare cigars. He was
sentenced to 24 consecutive one year terms!!