Short Thread

A lawyer in N Carolina,bought a box of very rare and expensive cigars,then insured them against fire. A month later, after smoking all the cigars,he filed a claim against the insurance company, claiming that the cigars had been destroyed "in a series of small fires"

Naturally, the insurance company refused to pay, arguing that he had consumed the cigars in the normal way. The lawyer sued and won. The judge concluded that, on the wording of the policy, the insurance company was liable -

That though the lawsuit was frivolous and an abuse of justice, the Insurance company had failed to limit its liability by defining what would amount to an "unacceptable fire".

The company, rather than incur the costs of appeal, paid up $15,000

The insurance company then reported the lawyer to the police. He was arrested and subsequently convicted on 24 counts of arson - intentionally burning insured property - and sentenced to two years' imprisonment and a fine.

The story is absolute fiction that's been doing rounds on the internet as a factual case but it's still an entertaining story with the unexpected twist at the end