Michigan Pot Grower Who Didn’t Tell Insurer Must Reimburse Fire Claim Payment

February 25, 2015

An insurance company that didn’t know about a medical marijuana nursery in a Bay City, Mich., basement can recover more than $130,000 paid after the house was destroyed by fire.

A federal appeals court upheld a decision by U.S. District Judge Thomas Ludington. Kasey McDermott’s home burned down in 2012 when her then-husband accidentally started a fire while smoking oil extracted from marijuana leaves.

Nationwide Mutual Fire Insurance paid more than $130,000 after the fire, but it didn’t know that Brien Matthews was growing marijuana in the home. The company sued to recover the money, saying the undisclosed practice violated the insurance policy.

Matthews was licensed to use medical marijuana and grow it for others. He had spent $20,000 on equipment, including dirt, fertilizer and lights.

Topics Carriers Michigan

Was this article valuable?

Here are more articles you may enjoy.

Latest Comments

  • April 1, 2015 at 5:37 pm
    YouDub says:
    This made my day. Oh David Caruso.
  • March 2, 2015 at 10:13 am
    MN says:
    I'm thinking one of two exclusions. Illegal acts or perhaps undisclosed business pursuits.
  • February 26, 2015 at 4:28 pm
    companyman says:
    Well, the ISO HO3 has a Conditions sections that states "We provide coverage to no "insureds" under this policy if, whether before or after a loss an "insured" has: 1 Intentio... read more

Add a CommentSee All Comments (10)Add a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

More News
More News Features