Wife's Accord Stole, stripped, and totalled

[wileycoyote]

Well this sucks, (funny - if you searched for wife, stripped, suck you might get this page ) my wifes Honda Accord was stolen on Monday, then recovered Monday night, less the hood, front bumper, head lights, radiator, A/C Pump and condenser, passenger airbag, interior door panels, CD Changer, and few other bits and pieces. The insurance company called me yesterday to say it was a total loss. I suspect I'm not going to be real happy with the offer the make me, I don't think there is much I can do. They just sent me a bunch of forms, with questions like how much I make, and a form to basically release all personal information to them (medical records, bank statements, etc.). Does anyone know what my rights are regarding the information disclosure? (I read my policy, nothing in there about it. But I did read the part about how a dispute on the value is settled.) Any attornys on the board with advise?

 

[codex57]

odd they would need all that stuff. See if you can get ahold of Brahtw8. He's the only attorney on this board I know of that posts regularly. Course, it might have nothing to do with the type of law he practices so he might not know either.

 

[wileycoyote]

My guess is that they suspect fruad, or collect it routinely because they deal with a lot of fraud.

 

[M_Six]

Definintely they're checking for fraud. If you've got medicals bills or other debts piling up, they'll investigate further.

 

[wileycoyote]

Luckily, I'm in pretty good shape financially, so I'm not worried, but it still bothers me that I have to give them access to everything.

 

[MyHarley]

It does sound strange........when my car was stolen by the valet, I didnt have any of those questions......maybe because it was a definite steal by the valet....and yeah, you won't like the settlement........they found my car 6 weeks later, sitting on the side of the road in New Orleans....it was just a shell of a car with the engine.....lol......it started right up, but had no electronics, seats, windows, lights, brakes, actually there was no interior...I still laugh at the site of it and it was only 6 months old........took a beating, sued the hotel and valet service to recover all damages and after a year in lawyer fees, I lost...........

Chalked it up to experience......you cant beat City Hall!!!

 

[donmbmw]

This is outrageous! What do you or wifes medical bills have to do with your car being stolen?
I am not a lawyer, but I know enough about the privacy of medical information to know that under no circumstances can they compel you to provide that kind of information. What is the relevancy? If they have an accusation to make, then they should make it. If I were you I would let them know loud and clear that your medical hx has nothing to do with this and if they try to stall you because of your refusal to disclose your medical records then you will sue. Damn this sh+t pisses me off.

 

[MrElussive]

It does sound strange........when my car was stolen by the valet, I didnt have any of those questions......maybe because it was a definite steal by the valet....and yeah, you won't like the settlement........they found my car 6 weeks later, sitting on the side of the road in New Orleans....it was just a shell of a car with the engine.....lol......it started right up, but had no electronics, seats, windows, lights, brakes, actually there was no interior...I still laugh at the site of it and it was only 6 months old........took a beating, sued the hotel and valet service to recover all damages and after a year in lawyer fees, I lost...........

Chalked it up to experience......you cant beat City Hall!!!

I believe that our law system is all about money. If you have enough money to throw down on a good law firm, you will win no matter what the case is. Don't believe me? In my Legal & Ethical Environment class, we watch videos every other day that show how more money = better services = stronger case.

 

[Kirby]

That sounds excessive but not surprising. I personally would challenge ALL of it. I'm am not an attorney, but IMO unless it says in your original insurance contract that you must supply this information, aren't they OBLIGATED BY CONTRACT LAW to settle with you? If they want to investigate you, that's their problem. You might also contact your state insurance commission or whoever regulates insurance in your state for advice.

 

[wileycoyote]

So here's the deal according to the California Department of Insurance: My policy (just like yours, read it and see) has a clause that requires me to "cooperate" with the insurance company. In this case, cooperation means providing the consent to allow them full access to all my records. I asked both my claim agent and Department of Insurance, "if you suspect fraud, can't you just get a supeona or warrant to disclose any information you need?" Both gave me the same reply, "Yes that's true, but that costs money, and this is cheaper." So,
I'm talking to an attorney Monday to see what they say, but I'll bet the $150 consultation fee that if I don't give the consent, they will say I didn't cooperate, and deny my claim. Sucks, but as our girl MyHarley put it, chalk it up to experience.

 

[slats]

I can see letting them have access to your medical bills just for frad purposes, but it doesn't seem right that they should be able to see WHY you have the medical bills.

If they can see that you don't have bills piling up, it should be no questions asked.

 

[e30fr3@k]

i agree..thats total bs. this law system, as i was explaining in a different thread, is completely based on money. you can win with money, hands down. as far as myharley's experience goes. thanks for sharing. i am NEVER letting one of those fux touch my keys again.

 

[xLibelle]

wiley, so did you do it?

 

[wileycoyote]

I won't even joke about it right now . I can't understand why they would even suspect it was fraud.

1. The car was paid for.
2. I spent about $1500 in that last year for new tires, CV joints, timing belt, etc.
3. It was in perfect condition. The interior had no signs of wear, exterior had only a few very minor blemishes (rock chips and two very small door dings).
4. I was the only owner and have all the service records.

If I wanted to get rid of it, I would have sold it. Why would I commit a felony (insurance fraud) to get less money? I really wish there was something I could do, but it looks like I'm screwed. When all this is done, you can bet I 'm going to file a complaint with every government office I can find. The more I think about it the more angry I get.