How Does Race Play a Role in Calculating Wrongful-Death Payouts? Ask Chubb Insurance.
When 32-year-old Monique Muñoz lost her life last year after her car was struck by a Lamborghini going over 100 mph, the teen driver who killed her was sentenced to several months at a juvenile camp. Muñoz’ family also believed the teen’s insurance company discriminated against her, for being Latina, when determining the wrongful-death payout.The Muñoz family filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court against Chubb Insurance, noting that the company offered them millions of dollars less than it had paid the family of a white Manhattan Beach teenager who was killed in a car accident in 2014.This wasn’t the first time that the company was faced with a racial discrimination lawsuit. In 2011, they were charged for refusing to promote an Asian employee based on her race and retaliating against her after she filed a complaint.Despite this history of racism within the company, Muñoz’ family gave them a chance to be removed from the lawsuit. All they had to do was provide a written statement that they did not consider Muñoz’ race in their calculation of the amount to be awarded. Chubb Insurance refused.Their refusal said it all, and the Muñoz family was determined with this lawsuit to teach insurance companies a lesson in human decency; that one person’s life isn’t worth less than another, especially not because of their race.Last week, in one of the largest single-plaintiff wrongful-death lawsuits in California history, they reached an $18.8 million settlement with Chubb Insurance.Chubb Insurance will be paying $10 million of the settlement, sending a warning to all insurance companies that they cannot choose to get a discount on the value of someone’s life and get away with it.If you or someone you know has been discriminated against by an insurance company, contact the skilled Los Angeles personal injury lawyers at Custodio & Dubey LLP. With over 25 years of experience, our lawyers will guide you at every step of the way to help you receive the justice you deserve.