ZIFL Volume 27, Issue 21
Barry Zalma
Nov 1, 2023
Read the full article at https://lnkd.in/gxkV6rMt and see the full video at https://lnkd.in/gcze7hvA and at https://lnkd.in/g9yDwegV and at https://zalma.com/blog and https://lnkd.in/gzC4jCvG.
The Resource for the Insurance Claims and Insurance Fraud Professionals
What a Great Country!
"This article a fictionalized True Crime Story of Insurance Fraud from an Expert who explains why Insurance Fraud is a “Heads I Win, Tails You Lose” situation for Insurers. The story is posted to help to Understand How Insurance Fraud in America is Costing Everyone who Buys Insurance Thousands of Dollars Every year and Why Insurance Fraud is Safer and More Profitable for the Perpetrators than any Other Crime."
How Insurance Fraud Can Succeed
Wo Ping Chen was trained as a physician in Hong Kong. Until Hong Kong was returned by the United Kingdom to the Peoples Republic of China, he was the best-known Orthopedist in the Crown Colony. Fearing problems with the new government he emigrated to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada as a citizen of the commonwealth.
He worked as an employee of the National Health Service for a year and then obtained a work visa to the U.S. and crossed the border into the U.S. only to find he could not work as a physician without a license from a U.S. state and attended a U.S. based medical school. After one year of medical school, one year of internship in a Seattle hospital and one year as a resident Chen was able to restart his life.
Read this article and the full 20 pages of this issue at ZIFL in pdf at https://lnkd.in/gzC4jCvG.
More McClenny Moseley & Associates Issues
This is ZIFL’s seventeenth installment of the saga of McClenny, Moseley & Associates and its problems with the federal courts in the State of Louisiana and what appears to be an effort to profit from what some Magistrate and District judges indicate may be criminal conduct to profit from insurance claims relating to hurricane damage to the public of the state of Louisiana.
Access Restoration Services U.S., Inc. and MMA Scheme Alleged in Detailed New Orleans Court Pleading and more.
Read this article and the full 20 pages of this issue at ZIFL in pdf at https://lnkd.in/gzC4jCvG.
After Avoiding Prison Fraudster Appeals Unsuccessfully
False Lightning Strike Claim Results in Fraud Conviction
Sara Weisbeck appealed her convictions for insurance fraud: false material information and identity theft over $1500 and under $10,000, both class “D” felonies. In State of Iowa v. Sara Jo Weisbeck, No. 22-1068, Court of Appeals of Iowa (October 11, 2023) considered her pleas for mercy.
Read this article and the full 20 pages of this issue at ZIFL in pdf at https://lnkd.in/gzC4jCvG.
Health Insurance Fraud Convictions
Tampa Pain Management Physician Edward Lubin Agrees to Pay $1.5 Million To Settle False Claims Act Liability for Receiving Bribes and Writing Unnecessary Fentanyl Prescriptions
Edward Lubin, a pain management physician agreed to pay the United States $1.5 million to resolve allegations that he violated the False Claims Act (FCA) by causing the submission of claims for fentanyl prescriptions that were written in exchange for kickback payments and that were medically unnecessary. The agreement resolves the United States’ claims against Dr. Lubin under the FCA. The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no admission or determination of liability.
Read this article and the full 20 pages of this issue at ZIFL in pdf at https://lnkd.in/gzC4jCvGand at http://zalma.com/.../uploads/2023/10/ZIFL-11-01-2023.pdf
Other Insurance Fraud Convictions
Claims Adjuster Will Serve Prison Time for Fraud Scheme
Paul Richard Massey, of Shady Spring, West Virginia, a former Allstate claims adjuster, will spend one year and a day in prison, forfeit his beach house and pickup truck to the federal government after pleading guilty to wire fraud and money laundering.
Federal prosecutors alleged that 51-year-old Massey issued 68 fraudulent checks from Allstate accounts totaling $862,871.29 while he worked as a claims adjuster in 2018 and 2019. Massey had settlement authority for up to $100,000 in his position with Allstate.
Read this article, and dozens convictions and the full 20 pages of this issue at ZIFL in pdf and read this article and the full 20 pages of this issue at ZIFL in pdf at https://lnkd.in/gzC4jCvG.
Crime Does Not Allow Insurer to Pay
Withholding Coverage for Criminal Acts Disincentivizes Criminal Conduct
Safeway Insurance Company sought supervisory writs from the judgment of the lower court which denied its motion for summary judgment. In Damien Harris v. Safeway Insurance Company Of Louisiana And Justin Rossette, No. CW 23-165, Court of Appeals of Louisiana, Third Circuit (October 25, 2023) the Louisiana Court of Appeals resolved an insurance coverage dispute over a criminal acts exclusion.
Read this article and the full 20 pages of this issue at ZIFL in pdf at https://lnkd.in/gzC4jCvG.
(c) 2023 Barry Zalma & ClaimSchool, Inc.
Please tell your friends and colleagues about this Newsletter, blog and the videos and let them subscribe to the blog and the videos.
Subscribe to Excellence in Claims Handling at locals.com at https://zalmaoninsurance.locals.com/subscribe or at substack at https://barryzalma.substack.com/publish/post/107007808
Go to Newsbreak.com https://www.newsbreak.com/@c/1653419?s=01
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 – http://zalma.com/blog/insurance-claims-library
Please tell your friends and colleagues about this Newsletter, blog and the videos and let them subscribe to the blog and the videos.
Go to Newsbreak.com https://lnkd.in/g8azKc34 Subscribe to substack at https://lnkd.in/gcZKhG6g
Read this article and the full 20 pages of this issue at ZIFL in pdf at https://lnkd.in/guPdbDe2 to the Insurance Claims Library – https://lnkd.in/gwEYkxD
Jury’s Findings Interpreting Insurance Contract Affirmed
Post 5105
See the full video at https://lnkd.in/gPa6Vpg8 and at https://lnkd.in/ghgiZNBN, and at https://zalma.com/blog plus more than 5100 posts.
Madelaine Chocolate Novelties, Inc. (“Madelaine Chocolate”) appealed the district court’s judgment following a jury verdict in favor of Great Northern Insurance Company (“Great Northern”) concerning storm-surge damage caused by “Superstorm Sandy” to Madelaine Chocolate’s production facilities.
In Madelaine Chocolate Novelties, Inc., d.b.a. The Madelaine Chocolate Company v. Great Northern Insurance Company, No. 23-212, United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit (June 20, 2025) affirmed the trial court ruling in favor of the insurer.
BACKGROUND
Great Northern refused to pay the full claim amount and paid Madelaine Chocolate only about $4 million. In disclaiming coverage, Great Northern invoked the Policy’s flood-exclusion provision, which excludes, in relevant part, “loss or damage caused by ....
Failure to Name a Party as an Additional Insured Defeats Claim
Post 5104
Read the full article at https://lnkd.in/gbcTYSNa, see the full video at https://lnkd.in/ggmDyTnT and at https://lnkd.in/gZ-uZPh7, and at https://zalma.com/blog plus more than 5100 posts.
Contract Interpretation is Based on the Clear and Unambiguous Language of the Policy
In Associated Industries Insurance Company, Inc. v. Sentinel Insurance Company, Ltd., No. 23-CV-10400 (MMG), United States District Court, S.D. New York (June 16, 2025) an insurance coverage dispute arising from a personal injury action in New York State Supreme Court.
The underlying action, Eduardo Molina v. Venchi 2, LLC, et al., concerned injuries allegedly resulting from a construction accident at premises owned by Central Area Equities Associates LLC (CAEA) and leased by Venchi 2 LLC with the USDC required to determine who was entitled to a defense from which insurer.
KEY POINTS
Parties Involved:
CAEA is insured by Associated Industries Insurance Company, Inc. ...
Exclusion Establishes that There is No Duty to Defend Off Site Injuries
Post 5103
Read the full article at https://lnkd.in/geje73Gh, see the full video at https://lnkd.in/gnQp4X-f and at https://lnkd.in/gPPrB47p, and at https://zalma.com/blog plus more than 5100 posts.
Attack by Vicious Dog Excluded
In Foremost Insurance Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan v. Michael B. Steele and Sarah Brown and Kevin Lee Price, Civil Action No. 3:24-CV-00684, United States District Court, M.D. Pennsylvania (June 16, 2025)
Foremost Insurance Company (“Foremost”) sued Michael B. Steele (“Steele”), Sarah Brown (“Brown”), and Kevin Lee Price (“Price”) (collectively, “Defendants”). Foremost sought declaratory relief in the form of a declaration that
1. it owes no insurance coverage to Steele and has no duty to defend or indemnify Steele in an underlying tort action and
2. defense counsel that Foremost has assigned to Steele in the underlying action may withdraw his appearance.
Presently before the Court are two ...
ZIFL Volume 29, Issue 10
The Source for the Insurance Fraud Professional
See the full video at https://lnkd.in/gK_P4-BK and at https://lnkd.in/g2Q7BHBu, and at https://zalma.com/blog and at https://lnkd.in/gjyMWHff.
Zalma’s Insurance Fraud Letter (ZIFL) continues its 29th year of publication dedicated to those involved in reducing the effect of insurance fraud. ZIFL is published 24 times a year by ClaimSchool and is written by Barry Zalma. It is provided FREE to anyone who visits the site at http://zalma.com/zalmas-insurance-fraud-letter-2/ You can read the full issue of the May 15, 2025 issue at http://zalma.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/ZIFL-05-15-2025.pdf
This issue contains the following articles about insurance fraud:
Health Care Fraud Trial Results in Murder for Hire of Witness
To Avoid Conviction for Insurance Fraud Defendants Murder Witness
In United States of America v. Louis Age, Jr.; Stanton Guillory; Louis Age, III; Ronald Wilson, Jr., No. 22-30656, United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit (April 25, 2025) the Fifth Circuit dealt with the ...
Professional Health Care Services Exclusion Effective
Post 5073
See the full video at https://lnkd.in/g-f6Tjm5 and at https://lnkd.in/gx3agRzi, and at https://zalma.com/blog plus more than 5050 posts.
This opinion is the recommendation of a Magistrate Judge to the District Court Judge and involves Travelers Casualty Insurance Company and its duty to defend the New Mexico Bone and Joint Institute (NMBJI) and its physicians in a medical negligence lawsuit brought by Tervon Dorsey.
In Travelers Casualty Insurance Company Of America v. New Mexico Bone And Joint Institute, P.C.; American Foundation Of Lower Extremity Surgery And Research, Inc., a New Mexico Corporation; Riley Rampton, DPM; Loren K. Spencer, DPM; Tervon Dorsey, individually; Kimberly Dorsey, individually; and Kate Ferlic as Guardian Ad Litem for K.D. and J.D., minors, No. 2:24-cv-0027 MV/DLM, United States District Court, D. New Mexico (May 8, 2025) the Magistrate Judge Recommended:
Insurance Coverage Dispute:
Travelers issued a Commercial General Liability ...
A Heads I Win, Tails You Lose Story
Post 5062
Posted on April 30, 2025 by Barry Zalma
"This is a Fictionalized True Crime Story of Insurance Fraud that explains why Insurance Fraud is a “Heads I Win, Tails You Lose” situation for Insurers. The story is designed to help everyone to Understand How Insurance Fraud in America is Costing Everyone who Buys Insurance Thousands of Dollars Every year and Why Insurance Fraud is Safer and More Profitable for the Perpetrators than any Other Crime."
Immigrant Criminals Attempt to Profit From Insurance Fraud
People who commit insurance fraud as a profession do so because it is easy. It requires no capital investment. The risk is low and the profits are high. The ease with which large amounts of money can be made from insurance fraud removes whatever moral hesitation might stop the perpetrator from committing the crime.
The temptation to do everything outside the law was the downfall of the brothers Karamazov. The brothers had escaped prison in the old Soviet Union by immigrating to the United...