By Mika Pangilinan, Insurance Business Magazine
Published June 9, 2023
State Farm has been hit with a class action lawsuit over allegations that it refused to cover the cost of repairs for luxury vehicles.
Filed in Broward County in Florida on May 18, the lawsuit stems from an incident involving Assaf and Ada Sasson, who owned an all-electric 2022 Porsche Taycan insured with State Farm for more than $100,000.
The Sassons’ vehicle was damaged in a May 2022 collision, which prompted them to seek repair services.
The vehicle was taken to a Porsche dealership and was then referred to a local Porsche-certified collision shop. This referral was made to ensure the repairs were conducted according to the manufacturer's specifications and to preserve the vehicle’s warranty, according to the lawsuit.
The recommended shop provided an estimate of $8,360.87 for the necessary repairs that was allegedly rejected by State Farm.
Instead, the insurance giant created its own estimate of $6,267.03 for the damages, the lawsuit claimed, based on alternative labor hourly rates not representative of the prices charged by certified repair facilities.
According to the suit, State Farm offered to pay only its estimated amount, minus a $500 deductible. The Sassons were consequently forced to cover the difference between the estimate and the actual costs of the repairs.
An initial breach of contract complaint was filed against State Farm in August 2022 with regards to this incident. However, lawyers said they discovered evidence suggesting State Farm has consistently failed to honor the policy requirements for determining collision benefits on high-value vehicles.
Working on this new information, the Sassons sought to amend their initial complaint and pursue a class action lawsuit, encompassing claims that date back to September 2018.
State Farm spokesperson Roszell Gadson declined to comment specifically on the case when approached by Law.com, stating “the filing of a lawsuit does not substantiate the allegations within the complaint.”
We thank Insurance Business Magazine for reprint permission.
Abby Andrews