In Madrigal v. Allstate Indemnity Co., Cause No. 16-55830 (9th Cir. June 15, 2017), the Ninth Circuit upheld a jury award assessing $14 million in bad faith damages, even though it was unclear whether the insurer could have met the settlement demand which it allegedly refused in bad faith. The Underlying Dispute In 2009, Carlos Madrigal (“Madrigal”) was riding a motorcycle when he was hit by a car driven by Richard Tang. The accident left Madrigal a paraplegic. A police report for the accident listed Madrigal at fault for the accident. Allstate provided insurance to Richard Tang and his wife, Anna Tang, with limits of $100,000 per claimant. Madrigal, through counsel, offered to settle his claims against Richard Tang for…
