Verbaere v. Life Investors Insurance Co. of America

Pursuant to section 155 of the Illinois Insurance Code (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1989, ch. 73, par. 767), the trial court assessed a penalty and attorney fees against defendant, Life Investors Insurance Company of America. Plaintiffs Peter and Angela Verbaere appeal from the amount of the award, claiming that the trial court erred in awarding their attorney, a law professor working in a law school clinic, only $40 per hour despite evidence supporting a substantially higher rate. The insurance company cross-appeals, arguing that the judgment entered against it is unjustified because its denial of…