Model Lauren Scruggs files lawsuit, rejects $200K settlement
March 29th, 2012 by faye
Lauren Scruggs, the model who lost a hand and an eyeball during an airplane propeller accident last year, has reportedly rejected a $200,000 settlement offered by the plane’s insurance company. Now, Scruggs is suing the owner of the plane as well as the insurance carrier.
According to previous reports, the 23-year-old Scruggs was injured last December after she exited the plane and accidentally walked into the front propeller. The model has now filed the legal docs in Dallas, Texas, claiming that Aggressive Insurance Services “verbally offered” to pay her $200,000 for the airplane propeller accident, explaining that it is the most the insurance company can pay out to a passenger. Lauren Scruggs, however, says she is entitled to significantly more than the money they are offering.
The severe injuries of the model are technically covered by two policies, both issued by Aggressive. One covers the plane while one covers pilot Curt Richmond. Both policies have a limit of $1 million per occurrence, and a sub-limit of $100,000 per passenger. Aggressive offered Lauren Scruggs $200,000, according to the lawsuit. This represents the passenger maximum under both policies.
But Scruggs has filed a lawsuit for her airplane propeller accident because she doesn’t agree with Aggressive’s interpretation of the word “passenger.” The insurance company defines passenger as “any person, other than the pilot, who is in the Aircraft or getting in or out of it.” The lawsuit says that Lauren Scruggs had already exited the plane. She was on the tarmac, and began walking forward when she was suddenly struck by the propeller.
Because Lauren Scruggs had no contact with the plane, the lawsuit says she technically wasn’t “getting out” of the aircraft. As such, she was not a passenger and is therefore entitled to something closer to the $1 million limit on each policy. On the other hand, Aggressive Insurance Services disagrees, and seems to think that “getting out” includes walking away from the aircraft. Or, at the very least, it includes individuals who are in the process of moving out of the plane’s shadow.
As of the moment, there is but little information on how the court will rule regarding the airplane propeller accident of Lauren Scruggs. However, reports say the end result may very well be irrelevant. Now that Scruggs has sued, Aggressive and Shell Aviation have more incentive to offer her a larger monetary settlement.