$2 Million Verdict for Injured Motorists on Underinsured Motorist Claim Against State Farm
Won by Shaw Cowart.
A Tarrant County jury awarded Lionel Telfort and Katiria Nunez more than $2 million on their underinsured motorist claim against State Farm after the at-fault driver's policy limits left their damages unsatisfied; State Farm's subsequent appeal was dismissed in 2024.
What happened
When Lionel Telfort and Katiria Nunez were injured in a collision caused by an underinsured driver in Tarrant County, the tortfeasor's liability policy was far too small to cover their losses. The two turned to State Farm, their own automobile insurer, to make up the difference under the underinsured motorist coverage they had purchased and paid for.
State Farm declined to pay what Telfort and Nunez believed they were owed, and the dispute moved into litigation in the 348th Judicial District Court of Tarrant County under Cause No. 348-318216-20. Shaw Cowart represented the plaintiffs, with Ethan Shaw serving as their counsel of record.
At trial, the jury heard evidence of the clients' injuries and the gap between the at-fault driver's coverage and the full measure of the plaintiffs' damages. On November 30, 2023, the jury returned a verdict exceeding $2,000,000 in favor of Telfort and Nunez on their underinsured motorist claim.
State Farm filed a notice of appeal to the Texas Second Court of Appeals (No. 02-24-00255-CV) in June 2024. Telfort and Nunez moved to dismiss the appeal, and the court granted that motion on August 29, 2024, leaving the trial court verdict in place. A mandate issued on November 8, 2024, concluding the appellate proceedings without any reduction of the award.
Sources
This account is drawn from contemporaneous public reporting and the court record.
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