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Rich Ruohonen Takes Pro Bono (Without Pay) Case Involving Denial of Insurance Claim to Fight Injustice

On April 18, 2008, the Good Faith Bill was signed into law by Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty.  This bill allows people to sue their insurance companies for unreasonably denial of benefits of the insurance policy and recover additional compensation and attorney’s fees.

Attorney Rich Ruohonen became involved with the passage of this bill after he accepted a pro bono (without pay) case involving an insurance company’s denial of Cole Anderson’s claim that his four-wheeler and snowmobile were stolen.  Rich and other attorneys fought hard against the insurance industry and state legislators to get the bill passed. 

At a press conference after the passage of this bill, Cole Anderson, Rich’s client, made the following statement:

I would like to thank the State of Minnesota Legislature and the Governor for passing this "Good Faith" legislation in law.  This is an important law for Minnesota consumers; one which I know about first hand.  The lack of having this law has affected me personally.   About three years ago, I had my brand new snowmobile and four-wheeler stolen out of my home while I was away on youth church retreat out of state.  My insurance companies refused to pay with no legitimate basis to do so. 

Instead they accused me of being involved in the theft of my own vehicles.  Despite continuing to refuse to pay, my insurance companies have now admitted under oath in litigation over this issue that they have no evidence whatsoever that links me to the theft of these vehicles.  Instead, due to this denial I continued to pay off my loans with interest on vehicles, I do not possess and cannot use.  Yet these companies do not now and never have had any evidence linking me to this.  That is because I had nothing to do with it.  Instead they have dragged me and my family through the mud accusing me of fraud as they continue to deny this claim.  

Luckily, I went to Rich Ruohonen of Pritzker | Ruohonen & Associates, and he agreed to represent me for free as he saw how unfairly I was being treated by these two insurance companies.  Had Rich not agreed to do this for free, I would never have been able to be reimbursed for the full value of what I paid insurance for and probably would not have been able to afford to pursue this claim. Now I will soon get the justice I deserve. 

When insurance companies can deny legitimate claims and refuse to pay with no reasonable basis to do so, we all lose as Minnesota consumers.  More so, when they accuse their own insured of fraud with admittedly no basis to do so, they should pay for the damage they cause.  Had this law been in effect three years ago, I have no doubt my claim would have been paid.  Instead, I still fight it in litigation today. 

Again, I would like to thank the legislature and the Governor of ensuring no other Minnesota citizen gets treated by his or her insurance company like I did.

Rich Ruohonen Takes Pro Bono Case (Without Pay)
to Fight Injustice

Rich Ruohonen said he took Cole Anderson’s case as it was one of the “biggest injustices” he has seen in his entire career.  Ruohonen agreed to help Anderson for free as Anderson had nowhere to turn. 

“These insurance companies figure if they deny the claim, most people will just give up and go away.  On many occasions they take your premium money and then refuse to pay legitimate claims.  Not only that, but in this case, they accused Cole Anderson of committing fraud with no evidence whatsoever to back it up.  In fact, in recent testimony under oath of the insurance adjusters involved in this claim, they admitted they have no evidence to demonstrate that Cole Anderson was involved in any way with the theft of his four-wheeler and snowmobile,”  stated Ruohonen.

The insurance companies involved ran criminal background checks, financial check and credit checks. They also took recorded statements and their attorneys took two more statements under oath of Cole Anderson whom was unrepresented at the time.  They made him provide tax returns, loan documents, bank records, checking records and all kinds of things to attempt to show he was involved in the theft. 

Despite all of this, Ruohonen explained:  “they found nothing and now readily admit they have no evidence supporting their allegations of fraud.  Yet, the insurance companies still refuse to pay.  This is exactly why we need this good faith law in Minnesota.  If we had this law at the time of Cole Anderson vehicles were stolen, he would have already had his money.  Unfortunately, he continues to pay off loans on the vehicles without actually being able to use the vehicles.  This is a great day for Minnesota consumers!” 

This case is currently set for summary judgment hearing in early May.

To contact attorney Rich Ruohonen, please call 1-888-377-8900 (toll-free) or 612-338-0202.

Our Minnesota insurance claim attorneys have offices in Minneapolis and represent injury victims throughout Minnesota, including but not limited to the Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul), Bloomington, Eagan, Edina, Roseville, Woodbury, Duluth, Rochester, and St. Cloud.

Pritzker | Ruohonen & Associates, P.A.
Plaza VII, Suite 2950
45 South Seventh Street
Minneapolis, MN 55402-1652

Telephone: 612-338-0202
Toll-Free: 1-888-377-8900
Fax: 612-338-0104
Email:info@pritzkerlaw.com

Pritzker | Ruohonen & Associates, P.A.: Minnesota personal injury lawyers with a national
reputation for excellence in the areas of personal injury and wrongful death.

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