The Car Collector
Read the full article at and see the full video at https://lnkd.in/gsH9uT-S and at https://lnkd.in/g-JC528d and at https://zalma.com/blog plus more than 4200 posts.
The Desire for an Antique Vehicle
Albert Reiche had a passion for old cars. Since the trust fund set up by his maternal grandparents provided him income of $3,000,000 a year, Albert never took a job.
He began to collect cars when he turned twenty-one in 1960. He started with a 1924 Model A Ford. As the years passed, he purchased and restored for his collection an Auburn, two Duesenberg J’s, a 1928 Cadillac touring car, a 1918 Dailmer, a Willy’s J, a 1934 Packard limousine, a 1924 Bentley, and many other classic automobiles. He kept his cars in a climate-controlled warehouse.Albert Reiche had a passion for old cars. Since the trust fund set up by his maternal grandparents provided him income of $3,000,000 a year, Albert never took a job.
He began to collect cars when he turned twenty-one in 1960. He started with a 1924 Model A Ford. As the years passed, he purchased and restored for his collection an Auburn, two Duesenberg J’s, a 1928 Cadillac touring car, a 1918 Dailmer, a Willy’s J, a 1934 Packard limousine, a 1924 Bentley, and many other classic automobiles. He kept his cars in a climate-controlled warehouse.
By the time Albert turned fifty, he was the proud owner of seventy-five classic automobiles. Albert had restored all of the automobiles to a pristine, new car showroom, condition. To Albert they were priceless. Albert would never consider selling. Estimates by car buffs had valued his collection at $90,000,000 to $125,000,000. He insured the collection with a gaggle of British insurance companies with a limit of $80,000,000.
Everyday Albert would spend time with his cars. He dusted, waxed and caressed each car. He manufactured, in his own machine shop, the parts he could not buy for his cars to keep them in new-car condition.
Two months later Albert faced incurable temptation and frustration. One of his sources informed him that the third Dailmer motor car ever manufactured was for sale for $6,000,000. It would be the cap stone of his collection. Old man Harrah would roll over in his grave to know that Albert had an automobile that put in shadow all of Harrah’s collection.
Albert did not have $6,000,000 in ready cash. His trust fund was set up so that he could not tap into the capital, but only accept the income derived from that capital. He only had a million dollars in ready cash and needed to raise another five. The seller would never reduce his demand since he knew the Dailmer was unique. Albert could not bring himself to sell any of his collection. He was desperate. Then he remembered that his trustee had required him to purchase insurance to protect his collection.
Albert, had to have the Dailmer.
Albert had a brilliant plan. He had his two Duesenbergs, a Cord, an Auburn and three Packards moved to his farm in Connecticut. He then broke the lock on his storage facility with a tire iron from a 1957 Chevy and reported that he had been the victim of a burglary. The police officers, totally blinded by the beauty of the collection, took his report and expressed honest sympathy for his loss. Shortly after that, his insurance adjuster visited Albert who confirmed the forcible entry into the storage facility; that the value of the vehicles exceeded the amounts stated on the policy by at least $3,000,000, and recommended to the insurers that they immediately accept the proof of loss for $6,540,000 (the stated value of the vehicles). The insurer agreed, happily noting they could have lost much more if the burglars had taken more vehicles.
Albert bought the Dailmer, which is now the pride of his collection. Since Albert was never a criminal, as the years passed and the income from his trust funds allowed, he would move one vehicle at a time from the Connecticut farm and deposit them on the streets in various communities throughout the Northeast. The police would eventually be called, trace the vehicle back to Albert, who would gladly retake possession. Since Albert had transferred title to the vehicles to his insurers upon the payment of the claim, Albert paid the insurer back the exact sum the insurer had paid him for the vehicle. Eventually, Albert recovered all of the cars he reported stolen. The insurer received back all the monies they paid in settlement. Albert’s collection was complete. No one thought they were hurt by the crime.
Albert lived happily ever after.
ZALMA OPINION
Insurance is not a bucket of money for whatever the insured desires. It is a promise to indemnify another against the risk of loss of property from a contingent or unknown event, not a means to fund the purchase of an antique automobile.
(c) 2022 Barry Zalma & ClaimSchool, Inc.
Barry Zalma, Esq., CFE, now limits his practice to service as an insurance consultant specializing in insurance coverage, insurance claims handling, insurance bad faith and insurance fraud almost equally for insurers and policyholders. He practiced law in California for more than 44 years as an insurance coverage and claims handling lawyer and more than 54 years in the insurance business. He is available at http://www.zalma.com
and [email protected].
Subscribe to Zalma on Insurance at locals.com https://zalmaoninsurance.local.com/subscribe.
Subscribe to Excellence in Claims Handling at https://barryzalma.substack.com/welcome.
Write to Mr. Zalma at [email protected]; http://www.zalma.com; http://zalma.com/blog; daily articles are published at https://zalma.substack.com.
Go to the podcast Zalma On Insurance at https://anchor.fm/barry-zalma; Follow Mr. Zalma on Twitter at https://twitter.com/bzalma; Go to Barry Zalma videos at Rumble.com at https://rumble.com/c/c-262921; Go to Barry Zalma on YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCysiZklEtxZsSF9DfC0Expg; Go to the Insurance Claims Library – https://zalma.com/blog/insurance-claims-library/
Interpleader Protects All Claimants Against Life Policy and the Insurer
Who’s on First to Get Life Insurance Proceeds
Post 5184
See the full video at https://lnkd.in/gyxQfnUz and at https://lnkd.in/gAd3wqWP, and at https://zalma.com/blog plus more than 5150 posts.
Go to X @bzalma; Go to Barry Zalma videos at Rumble.com at https://lnkd.in/gRthzSnT; Go to Barry Zalma on YouTube- https://lnkd.in/g2hGv88; Go to the Insurance Claims Library – https://lnkd.in/gwEYk.
Interpleader Protects All Claimants Against Life Policy and the Insurer
In Metropolitan Life Insurance Company v. Selena Sanchez, et al, No. 2:24-cv-03278-TLN-CSK, United States District Court, E.D. California (September 3, 2025) the USDC applied interpleader law.
Case Overview
This case involves an interpleader action brought by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (Plaintiff-in-Interpleader) against Selena Sanchez and other defendants (Defendants-in-Interpleader).
Key Points
Plaintiff-in-Interpleader’s Application:
The Plaintiff-in-Interpleader...
A Claim by Any Other Name is not a Claim
Post 5182
It is Imperative that Insured Report Potential Claim to Insurers
Read the full article at https://lnkd.in/gfbwAsxw, See the full video at https://lnkd.in/gea_hgB3 and at https://lnkd.in/ghZ7gjxy, and at https://zalma.com/blog plus more than 5150 posts.
In Jeffrey B. Scott v. Certain Underwriters At Lloyd’s, London, Subscribing To Policy No. B0901li1837279, RLI Insurance Company, Certain Underwriters At Lloyds, London And The Insurance Company, Subscribing To Policy No. B0180fn2102430, No. 24-12441, United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit (August 25, 2025) the court explained the need for a claim to obtain coverage.
Case Background:
This appeal arises from a coverage dispute under a Directors & Officers (D&O) insurance policy. Jeffrey B. Scott, the plaintiff-appellant, was terminated from his role as CEO, President, and Secretary of Gemini Financial Holdings, LLC in October 2019. Following his termination, Scott threatened legal action against Gemini, and ...
A Claim by Any Other Name is not a Claim
Post 5182
It is Imperative that Insured Report Potential Claim to Insurers
Read the full article at https://lnkd.in/gfbwAsxw, See the full video at https://lnkd.in/gea_hgB3 and at https://lnkd.in/ghZ7gjxy, and at https://zalma.com/blog plus more than 5150 posts.
In Jeffrey B. Scott v. Certain Underwriters At Lloyd’s, London, Subscribing To Policy No. B0901li1837279, RLI Insurance Company, Certain Underwriters At Lloyds, London And The Insurance Company, Subscribing To Policy No. B0180fn2102430, No. 24-12441, United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit (August 25, 2025) the court explained the need for a claim to obtain coverage.
Case Background:
This appeal arises from a coverage dispute under a Directors & Officers (D&O) insurance policy. Jeffrey B. Scott, the plaintiff-appellant, was terminated from his role as CEO, President, and Secretary of Gemini Financial Holdings, LLC in October 2019. Following his termination, Scott threatened legal action against Gemini, and ...
Barry Zalma: Insurance Claims Expert Witness
Posted on September 3, 2025 by Barry Zalma
The Need for a Claims Handling Expert to Defend or Prove a Tort of Bad Faith Suit
© 2025 Barry Zalma, Esq., CFE
When I finished my three year enlistment in the US Army as a Special Agent of US Army Intelligence in 1967, I sought employment where I could use the investigative skills I learned in the Army. After some searching I was hired as a claims trainee by the Fireman’s Fund American Insurance Company. For five years, while attending law school at night while working full time as an insurance adjuster I became familiar with every aspect of the commercial insurance industry.
On January 2, 1972 I was admitted to the California Bar. I practiced law, specializing in insurance claims, insurance coverage and defense of claims against people insured and defense of insurance companies sued for breach of contract and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. After 45 years as an active lawyer, I asked that my license to practice law be declared inactive ...
The Need for a Claims Handling Expert to Defend or Prove a Tort of Bad Faith Suit
© 2025 Barry Zalma, Esq., CFE
When I finished my three year enlistment in the US Army as a Special Agent of US Army Intelligence in 1967, I sought employment where I could use the investigative skills I learned in the Army. After some searching I was hired as a claims trainee by the Fireman’s Fund American Insurance Company. For five years, while attending law school at night while working full time as an insurance adjuster I became familiar with every aspect of the commercial insurance industry.
On January 2, 1972 I was admitted to the California Bar. I practiced law, specializing in insurance claims, insurance coverage and defense of claims against people insured and defense of insurance companies sued for breach of contract and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. After 45 years as an active lawyer, I asked that my license to practice law be declared inactive and became a consultant and expert witness for lawyers representing insurers and lawyers ...
APPRAISAL AWARD SETS AMOUNT OF DAMAGES RECOVERED FROM INSURER
Post 5180
See the full video at https://rumble.com/v6yd2z0-evidence-required-to-prove-breach-of-contract.html and at https://youtu.be/2ywEjs3hZsw, and at https://zalma.com/blog plus more than 5150 posts.
It’s a Waste of Time to Sue Your Insurer if You Don’t Have Evidence
Evidence Required to Prove Breach of Contract
Read the full article at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/evidence-required-prove-breach-contract-barry-zalma-esq-cfe-rfelc, see the full video at https://rumble.com/v6yd2z0-evidence-required-to-prove-breach-of-contract.html and at https://youtu.be/2ywEjs3hZsw, and at https://zalma.com/blog plus more than 5150 posts.
It’s a Waste of Time to Sue Your Insurer if You Don’t Have Evidence
In Debbie Beaty and Jonathan Hayes v. Homeowners Of America Insurance Company, No. 01-23-00844-CV, Court of Appeals of Texas, First District (August 26, 2025) Debbie Beaty and Jonathan Hayes filed a claim under their homeowner’s insurance policy with Homeowners of ...
