Seattle Farmers Insurance is at it Again...
Can you imagine being a tenant in an apartment complex, your building catches on fire and burns to the ground with all of your possessions? I can't. And then, when you don't think it can get any worse, Farmers Insurance comes knocking, wanting you to pay them $420,000.00 for the damage to the apartment complex!
This happened to Chris Christoffersen and her daughter Melissa in University Place, Washington. The fire department had ruled the fire accidental and discovered it was caused when the Christoffersen's couch was pushed against the baseboard heater. At first, it was a phone call from Farmers wanting $350,000.00 to repair the complex. And then a bill from a collections agency demanding $420,000.00.
Farmers eventually dropped the matter after being contacted by the KOMO 4 problem solvers, but the arrogance of Farmers is simply amazing. The Washington State Insurance Commissioner stated that Washington Courts have ruled that insurance companies cannot hold tenants responsible for fire damages unless it's expressly written in the lease. But that didn't seem to matter to Farmers.
