Rocky Hill Auto Body Shop Among Victors in Statewide Lawsuit

A superior court judge in Stamford ordered on Monday The Hartford Insurance Co. to pay $20 million to auto body shops in Connecticut, and one of the recipients is South End Autobody LLC in Glastonbury, the New Britain Herald reported.

According to the New Britain Herald, this lawsuit, led by the Auto Body Association of Connecticut (ABAC), stemmed from unfair insurance practices alleged by The Hartford, a Simsbury-based insurance provider.

The lawsuit said The Hartford would instruct its employees to direct customers to a  “preferred shop” in The Hartford’s “customer care repair service program,” a move that was seen as pressuring the consumer to abandon their choice in favor of The Hartford’s preferred list of auto body repair businesses, the ABAC said in a news release on CT Watch Dog’s website.

The $20 million that the judge ordered the insurance company to pay makes up for punitive damages. Attorneys for the ABAC told The Herald The Hartford will likely appeal the ruling, however the judgment sends a signal to other insurance companies not to engage in these practices.

Read the full story on The New Britain Herald’s website.