Pay The Ticket

North Carolina has a statute that allows a trial court to order a defendant insurance company to pay the attorneys fees of an insured plaintiff where the recovery is less than $10,000 and the court concludes that the insurer has engaged in an "unwarranted refusal" to pay the claim. The North Carolina Court of Appeals upheld a trial court order requiring the insurer to pay $25,000 to plaintiff's lawyer under the statute. (Mike Frisch)