Insurance Bad Faith: Sparks v. Republic National Life ($4.5 Million Verdict)
At the time, this $4.5 million verdict was the largest in the State of Arizona. Ted Schmidt's clients were seriously injured in an airplane crash. The father suffered a severe brain injury and could not work. Consequently, the family fell behind in their health insurance premiums and the insurance carrier stopped paying for health care related to the crash. Following a three week trial, the jury found that the insurance company was in bad faith for refusing to make these payments. The result was upheld by the Arizona Supreme Court and still stands as one of the most frequently cited cases for insurance bad faith law.
Ted A. Schmidt
Ted's early career as a trial attorney began on the other side of the fence, in the offices of a major insurance defense firm. It was there that Ted acquired the experience, the skills and the special insight into defense strategy that have served him so well in the field of personal injury law. Notable among his successful verdicts was the landmark Sparks vs. Republic National Life Insurance Company case, a $4.5 million award to Ted's client. To this day, it is the defining case for insurance bad faith, and yet it is only one of several other multi-million dollar jury judgments won by Ted during his career. He is certified by the State Bar of Arizona as a specialist in "wrongful death and bodily injury litigation".
