posted 02-22-2005 10:38 AM         

This is the best lawyer story of the
year, decade and probably the century.
A Charlotte, NC, lawyer purchased a
box of very rare and expensive cigars, then insured

them against fire among other things. Within a month,
having smoked his entire stockpile of these great
cigars and without yet having made even his first
premium payment on the policy, the lawyer filed
claim against the insurance company.

>In his claim, the lawyer stated the
>cigars were lost "in a series of small fires." The
>
>
insurance company refused to pay, citing the obvious
reason: that the man had consumed the cigars in the
normal fashion. The lawyer sued...and won!
In delivering the ruling the judge
agreed with the insurance company that the claim was

frivolous. The Judge stated nevertheless, that the
lawyer held a policy from the company in which it had
warranted that the cigars were insurable and also
guaranteed that it would insure them against fire,
without defining what is considered to be
unacceptable fire, and was obligated to pay the claim.
Rather than endure lengthy and costly
appeal process, the insurance company accepted the

ruling and paid $15,000 to the lawyer for his loss
of the rare cigars lost in the "fires."
NOW FOR THE BEST PART...
After the lawyer cashed the check, the
insurance company had him arrested on 24 counts of