Evans wins nearly $4 million in lawsuit which eventually leads to a $9.3 million verdict against insurance company for bad faith
Kelly Krohn was operating a 1992 Plymouth Voyager eastbound on Highway 350 in Kansas City, Missouri, approaching its intersection with Noland Road. A passenger in the vehicle was Renee Ingram, who was sitting in the right front passenger seat. They were returning to a relative’s home after attending a wedding and wedding reception.
At the same time, Michael Rinehart was operating a 1997 Dodge Dakota pick-up in a westerly direction on Highway 350 near its intersection with Noland Road when he crossed the center line and struck the vehicle Kelly Krohn was operating head-on.
Krohn suffered a collapsed lung, lacerated liver, fractured femur and a dislocated fracture of the talar bone.
Ingram suffered seven broken bones of the arms and legs, multiple facial fractures and a brain injury.
At the time of the accident, Kelly Krohn was 24 years old and Renee Ingram was 23 years old.
Prior to the lawsuit being filed, Ingram and Krohn made a demand to settle the lawsuit against Rinehart within Rinehart’s policy limits. However, the insurance company did not accept the policy limits demand but offered two thirds of the policy limits to settle.
Thereafter, suit was filed and a Jackson County jury returned a verdict in favor of Ingram in the amount of $2,961,000 and Krohn in the amount of $876,000.
Subsequent to the jury verdict, Rinehart then filed a lawsuit against the insurance company who refused to settle when a policy limits demand had been made. By the time this bad faith lawsuit was tried, the Ingram-Krohn verdict had reached $6.3 million due to the accumulation of interest.
At trial, Rinehart sought damages in the amount of $6.3 million, plus punitive damages against the insurance company.
A Jackson County jury rendered verdict against the insurance company and in favor of Rinehart in the amount of $6.3 million and then added $3 million in punitive damages for a total of $9.3 million.
