Zalma on Insurance
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Insurance Claims professional presents articles and videos on insurance, insurance Claims and insurance law for insurance Claims adjusters, insurance professionals and insurance lawyers who wish to improve their skills and knowledge. Presented by an internationally recognized expert and author.
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June 05, 2025
Fraud is a Crime that Should Never Pay

Fraud Eliminates Right to No Fault Benefits

See the full video at https://lnkd.in/gDfamQWQ and at https://lnkd.in/g4BvnMk2, and at https://zalma.com/blog plus more than 5050 posts.

Post 5091

Court Eliminates an Attempt to Defraud No Fault Placement Facility

Aric Lynn Holloway II (plaintiff), appealed the stipulated order of dismissal in favor of defendant-appellee, Citizens Insurance Company of the Midwest (defendant).

In Aric Lynn Holloway II, et al v. Memberselect Insurance Company et al, Michigan Automobile Insurance Placement Facility, No. 367611, Court of Appeals of Michigan (May 29, 2025) the plaintiff attempted to convince the Court of Appeals to allow his fraud to succeed.

In a case involving issues of insurance claims, alleged fraud, and the eligibility for Personal Injury Protection (PIP) benefits the Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

The case arises from a car accident where the plaintiffs, Holloway and his friends, were rear-ended by another vehicle that fled the scene. Holloway sustained various injuries and underwent spinal surgery at Advanced Surgery Center (ASC), assigning his right to PIP benefits to ASC only to find Holloway had committed fraud.

Holloway sought PIP benefits through MemberSelect Insurance Company, which was issued to his parents, and also applied for benefits through the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan (MACP).

Holloway’s application stated he lived with his girlfriend and daughter, indicating no vehicles were owned in the household. However, he later testified he lived with his parents at the time of the accident. His application included false service dates for attendant-care services, which raised suspicions of fraud.

LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

ASC intervened in the lawsuit to recover PIP benefits it provided to Holloway. Eventually, Citizens moved for summary disposition, arguing that Holloway committed fraudulent acts by submitting false information in his claims.

The court found that Holloway’s claims were based on knowingly false statements, which included fabricated service dates and misrepresentation of his living situation. The court ruled that he was ineligible for PIP benefits due to fraud.

JURISDICTIONAL ISSUES

The court concluded that Holloway was an aggrieved party following the final order dismissing his claims.

SUMMARY DISPOSITION AND FRAUD FINDINGS

The court granted summary disposition in favor of Citizens Insurance, concluding that Holloway’s actions constituted a fraudulent insurance act as defined under Michigan law. The court emphasized that the statements made in his application and affidavits were material to his claim, and he was aware they were false.

Holloway’s assertions that discrepancies were innocent mistakes were rejected. The court found no genuine issue of material fact regarding his knowledge of the false information he submitted.

CONCLUSION

Ultimately, the court dismissed Holloway’s claims for PIP benefits based on the determination that he committed insurance fraud.

When a person injured in a motor vehicle accident lacks insurance, the no-fault act sets forth an order of priority for insurers who may be liable for the payment of PIP benefits. The Court held that a person commits a “fraudulent insurance act” when

1 the person presents or causes to be presented an oral or written statement,
2 the statement is part of or in support of a claim for no-fault benefits, and
3 the claim for benefits was submitted to the MAIPF.
4 the person must have known that the statement contained false information, and
5 the statement concerned a fact or thing material to the claim.

Viewing the evidentiary record in the light most favorable to plaintiff, the court found no genuine issue of material fact that plaintiff committed a fraudulent insurance act.

The record indicates that plaintiff was aware that the attendant-care and replacement-services affidavits he submitted were incorrect.

The Court concluded that Plaintiff failed to demonstrate the existence of a genuine issue of material fact to preclude summary disposition.

ZALMA OPINION

No Fault insurance was designed to help injured people and take the profit out of fraud because of the limited awards for no fault accidents. In this case fraud was obvious, the plaintiff admitted he lied in his deposition but claimed it was just a mistake not an intent to deceive. The argument failed because the evidence established that he intentionally and incompetently committed fraud. Crime doesn’t pay and he will have to pay for his surgery out of his own funds.

(c) 2025 Barry Zalma & ClaimSchool, Inc.

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00:07:30
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September 18, 2026
Expert May Only Testify to What Experience Supports

Insurance Expert May Not Testify to Speculative and Contains Unsupported Conclusions.

Posted on September 18, 2026 by Barry Zalma

See the full video at and at https://rumble.com/v7fmifw-expert-may-only-testify-to-what-experience-supports.html

In Michele A. Over, and The Estate Of Paul R. Over v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, and State Farm Fire And Casualty Company, Civil Action No. 23-cv-02243-PAB-STV, United States District Court, D. Colorado (September 14, 2026) Michele and Paul Over sued State Farm Fire and State Farm Auto over hail-damage and stolen-vehicle claims.

The operative dispute concerned State Farm Auto’s motion to exclude or limit opinions from plaintiffs’ insurance-industry expert, Aaron Castillo. Castillo.

Law

The proponent of expert testimony must establish by a preponderance of the evidence that an expert is qualified and that the opinions are helpful, sufficiently grounded, and reliably derived and applied. Experience-based opinions must explain how the...

00:03:10
September 17, 2026
Convicted on 29 Tax-Refund-Fraud Counts

150 Months in Prison for Tax Fraud
Post 4846

Posted on September 17, 2026 by Barry Zalma

See the full video at https://lnkd.in/g8rh3JBX and https://lnkd.in/gmkdy-9C, In United States Of America v. Thomas Addaquay, Nos. 25-10609, 25-10611, United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit (September 9, 2026) the Eleventh Circuit affirmed all challenged convictions, the 150-month aggregate sentence, and the challenged $4,123,474.55 restitution award.

FACTS

In United States Of America v. Thomas Addaquay, United States Of America v. Thomas Addaquay, Nos. 25-10609, 25-10611, United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit (September 9, 2026) the Eleventh Circuit affirmed all challenged convictions, the 150-month aggregate sentence, and the challenged $4,123,474.55 restitution award.
FACTS

Thomas Addaquay controlled United Consolidated Accounting and Business Services (UC), nominally a check-cashing business.

The government proved a three-stage tax-refund scheme that converted the resulting refund checks into usable funds through ...

00:05:23
September 14, 2026
Court Enforces Fifth Amendment & Refuses to Compel Answers

Major Fraud Perpetrator Asserts Fifth Amendment Privilege to Avoid Prosecution

Post 5489

Posted on September 14, 2026 by Barry Zalma

Fraudster Refuses to Answer Questions About His Alleged Fraud

See the full video at https://lnkd.in/gvicAMDr and at https://lnkd.in/gvicAMDr

In Great American Insurance Co. v. Gemstone Property Management, LLC, et al., No. 23-cv-9100 (LJL), United States District Court, S.D. New York (September 8, 2026) Great American Insurance Company alleged that it was defrauded through a scheme in which Subin Associates, LLP recruited individuals to stage construction-site injuries, arranged unnecessary medical treatment and litigation funding, and pursued fraudulent personal-injury claims.

Luis Manuel Garcia Salcedo, resulted in a $6 million settlement. Non-party Jose Hernandez allegedly worked as an assistant manager at Subin, operated Hernandez Associates, and owned litigation-funding companies that shared office space with Subin and provided services to its clients.

After Great American ...

00:05:14
September 25, 2026
Unwise for a Appellant to Represent Himself.

Inadequately Briefed Issues Defeats Appeal

Post 4852

Issues on Appeal Must be Adequately Briefed

Posted on September 25, 2026 by Barry Zalma

In Emy Ojekwe v. Connecticut Transit District Consortium, No. AC 47389, Court of Appeals of Connecticut (September 22, 2026) Emy Ojekwe alleged that he was injured on September 24, 2020, while leaving a bus operated by Connecticut Transit District Consortium, doing business as Greater Bridgeport Transit Authority.

According to his complaint, the wheelchair ramp began to rise before he had fully exited, causing his wheelchair to fall backward and allegedly injuring several parts of his body and damaging the wheelchair. The defendant denied negligence and alleged comparative negligence. After a two-day jury trial in November 2023, the jury returned a defense verdict.

The trial court denied Ojekwe’s motion to set aside the verdict and for a new trial, and he appealed.

LAW

A trial court’s refusal to set aside a verdict because of counsel’s improper remarks is reviewed for abuse of ...

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September 25, 2026
Unwise for a Appellant to Represent Himself.

Inadequately Briefed Issues Defeats Appeal

Post 4852

Issues on Appeal Must be Adequately Briefed

Posted on September 25, 2026 by Barry Zalma

In Emy Ojekwe v. Connecticut Transit District Consortium, No. AC 47389, Court of Appeals of Connecticut (September 22, 2026) Emy Ojekwe alleged that he was injured on September 24, 2020, while leaving a bus operated by Connecticut Transit District Consortium, doing business as Greater Bridgeport Transit Authority.

According to his complaint, the wheelchair ramp began to rise before he had fully exited, causing his wheelchair to fall backward and allegedly injuring several parts of his body and damaging the wheelchair.

LAW

Refusal to set aside a verdict because of counsel’s improper remarks is reviewed for abuse of discretion.

Appellate claims receiving only cursory treatment, without record citations, supporting authority, or legal analysis, are inadequately briefed.

DISCUSSION

Improper opening remarks.

Defense counsel referred to Ojekwe’s national origin,...

September 24, 2026
Restitution Sentence Affirmed

Psychiatrist Who Was Convicted of Fraud Asked the First Circuit to Reduce his Punishment
Post 4851

Posted on September 24, 2026 by Barry Zalma

Fraud to Private and Public Health Insurers Doesn’t Pay

In United States v. Gustavo Kinrys, Nos. 24-1592, 24-1716, United States Court of Appeals, First Circuit (September 21, 2026) Gustavo Kinrys, a Massachusetts psychiatrist, submitted fraudulent claims to private and public health insurers from 2015 through 2018, including bills for more than 1,000 sessions when he or the purported patient was outside the country. When insurers requested supporting records, he delayed through a fictitious office manager and created false documentation.

A jury convicted Kinrys on fourteen counts. The district court imposed a 99-month sentence, calculated intended loss at slightly more than $19 million based on billed amounts, ordered $6,537,309.59 in restitution, and ordered $6,527,391.19 in forfeiture.

At sentencing, the district court calculated Kinrys’s base offense level to be ...

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