Gibson v. Group Insurance

This is a fire insurance recovery case in which a jury returned a verdict of $87,333 in favor of plaintiff. The trial judge reduced that amount by the unpaid mortgage balance paid out pursuant to the contract by defendant insurer. Both parties appeal as of right and we affirm.

Plaintiff’s house was destroyed by fire on March 11, 1981. Plaintiff testified that he left home with his girlfriend, Jacqueline Moore, and her son, Nathan, at about 10:30 p.m. The house was locked. He took Ms. Moore to work, dropped off Nathan at his grandmother’s house, stopped briefly at a bar, had a snack at his…