Aug. 22, 2017—Matthew and Marcia Seebachan have dismissed their cases against State Farm, which alleged the insurer influenced an auto repair that didn’t meet OEM specifications in order to increase its bottom line, glassBYTEs reports.
The lawsuits, which were filed separately, were dismissed only 13 days after they were filed.
The lawsuit alleged that State Farm forced John Eagle Collision Center, "to use glue instead of welds and the shoddy and substandard repair work turned Matthew and Marcia Seebachan's Honda into a bonfire."
"State Farm secretly and covertly plays Russian Roulette with its customers and the public by forcing body shops to choose their profits over the safety of the motoring public," said Dallas vehicle safety lawyer Todd Tracy, who represented the Seebachans.
Four months after purchasing the vehicle, the couple was in an accident, and both sustained serious burn injuries after the roof collapsed and doors jammed, trapping the couple inside as the vehicle caught fire. They alleged this was due to the repair work of the collision center.
Boyce Willis, director of John Eagle, stated in his July 7 deposition, that the insurance company wouldn’t have paid the bill if the center didn’t perform the repairs as they had specified, as opposed to the OEMs.
This prompted the couple, who were represented by Todd Tracey, to file a complaint against the insurance company, shedding light on the influence insurers have on auto repairs of all types.
According to the lawsuit, the couple dismissed their lawsuits without prejudice to refiling. No reason was provided.
