The $290 line breached in fierce battle

GATA Members,

YOU'LL ENJOY THESE SILLY STORIES:

1.
A Charlotte, NC, man having purchased a case of very rare, very
expensive cigars insured them against fire among other things. Within a
month, having smoked his entire stockpile of cigars and without having
made even his first premium payment on the policy, the man filed a claim
against the insurance company. In his claim, the man stated the cigars
were lost "in a series of small fires". The insurance company refused to
pay, citing the obvious reason that the man had consumed the cigars in
the normal fashion. The man sued ... and won!

In delivering the ruling the judge agreeing the claim was frivolous,
stated nevertheless that 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 against fire, with out defining what it considered to
be "unacceptable fire", and was obligated to pay the claim.

Rather than endure a lengthy and costly appeal process the insurance
company accepted the ruling and paid the man $15,000 for the rare cigars
he lost in "the fires". After the man cashed the cheque, however, the
company had him arrested on 24 counts of arson. With his own insurance
claim and testimony from the previous case being used against him, the
man was convicted of intentionally burning his insured property and was
sentenced to 24 months in jail and a $24,000 fine.

- - - - -

2.
Drug possession defendant Christopher Jansen, on trial in March in
Pontiac, Michigan, said he had been searched without a warrant. The
prosecutor said the officer didn't need a warrant because a "bulge" in
Christopher's jacket could have been a gun. Nonsense, said Christopher,
who happened to be wearing the same jacket that day in court. He handed
it over so the judge could see it. The judge discovered a packet of
cocaine in the pocket and laughed so hard he required a five minute
recess to compose himself.

Boudewijn Wegerif -- "GP GATA"
Moderator GATA Forum

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