This sends a clear message to the highest levels at Westchester that we can't do business like this anymore. Every obligation they had, they breached.
In the world of insurance, $20 million in punitive damages is considered a very substantial jury award.
The insurance carrier kept putting up a number of procedural roadblocks, none of which involved the loss itself.
The power company shut off the electricity to the mine because the company was in arrears in paying its power bill.
It's clear that this jury is sending a message to the business insurance industry that the American public, including the business community, is sick and tired of insurance companies deceptively handling and denying legitimate claims.
It's very rare to get an award this big in punitive damages.
It took three years for this to get to trial, the trial took two weeks and the jury turned in the verdict at about 5 p.m. on Tuesday.
