Florida Farm Bureau General Insurance last week asked a judge in that state to not only dismiss the lawsuit brought by 20 shops against Florida Farm Bureau and other insurers, but also to levy sanctions against the shops and their attorneys for filing a “frivolous and fraudulent lawsuit.”
The suit, which accuses the insurers of conspiring to manipulate shop labor rates and compensation, was dismissed January 21 by U.S. District Judge Gregory Presnell, but Presnell gave the shops until February 10 to file an amended complaint.
In its brief seeking the dismissal and sanctions, Florida Farm Bureau argues that the shop’s lawsuit asserts that the alleged wrongful acts by the insurers were achieved by and through direct repair programs. But the plaintiffs knew in advance that Florida Farm Bureau operates no DRP, the insurer argues, making their claims against the insurer “illegitimate and unsupported by the factual circumstances.”
Florida Farm Bureau is asking the court to sanction each of the plaintiff shops and their counsel, and award the insurer “reasonable attorneys’ fees incurred by Florida Farm Bureau in defending itself against this meritless action.”
Click here to read more details in CRASH Network’s coverage of the lawsuit.
