A Missouri appellate court ruled that Geico must pay $5.2 million to a woman who contracted HPV while having unprotected sex in her husband’s insured car.
The Court of Appeals for Missouri’s Western District published an opinion Tuesday affirming the multimillion-dollar settlement against the insurance company. This company is best known for its TV ads featuring a talking gecko.
According to court papers, the woman was identified only as “M.O.” According to court papers, the woman was identified only as “M.O.”
M.O. disputed Geico’s rejection of her claim. M.O.
Geico appealed and claimed it had never been able to contest the claim.
According to the appeals court opinion which bolded the word “did”, GEICO had the opportunity to defend itself and participate in the defense of its interests, including the ability challenge liability and damages.
According to the court, the insurance company is “not entitled to relitigate these issues” in appeal.
In a statement, the company, which is based in Chevy Chase in Maryland, stated that the case would ultimately be settled in federal court.
Geico claimed it had no responsibility to defend the boyfriend (identified only as “M.B.”) in federal court papers. Geico should only be held responsible for damages “out of the ownership maintenance or use of the…auto.”
According to a filing in federal court last year, “M.O.’s alleged damage have no nexus with the ownership, maintenance, and covered use of 2014 Hyundai Genesis.”
