Local Atlanta Trial Attorney Linley Jones
Wins Big in Jackson, Mississippi

June 14, 2005, Atlanta, Georgia – Linley Jones today announced that her $1.4 million verdict against Progressive Insurance Company was upheld in a decision announced on Tuesday, June 6, by the Mississippi Court of Appeals.

Linley Jones served as lead counsel in the 2003 two-week trial before a Jackson, Mississippi jury, resulting in a verdict of $1,436,000. “The case is a repudiation of the strong-arm tactics used by Progressive Insurance Company to try and put our client out of business,” said Jones. Linley Jones', All Care, Inc., a division of a national health care chain, is a clinic-based healthcare provider dedicated to serving injured plaintiffs on a lien basis, a financial arrangement in which the clinic would wait for payment until the victim settled his/her case or received a verdict. For those without health insurance or independent financial means, All Care met a strong need in the Jackson community.

In the lawsuit, All Care successfully sued Progressive for wrongfully interfering with the business of its Jackson, Mississippi health care clinic by discouraging local personal injury lawyers from referring clients to the clinic. The evidence at trial showed that Progressive – and one adjuster in particular – strongly resisted paying claims involving treatment by the Jackson clinic.

The jury agreed that the Progressive adjuster spread damaging and untrue allegations about the clinic to local personal injury lawyers, such as rumors that the doctors at the clinic were not qualified, and claims that the clinic was under investigation for fraudulent billing practices by the state Attorney General’s office. Despite a large number of satisfied patients, several of whom testified at trial, the local clinic was ultimately put out of business by Progressive’s actions.

In the lawsuit, All Care proved that Progressive wrongfully interfered with its business because it was the only clinic in Jackson, Mississippi willing to treat uninsured accident victims on a lien basis.

“This case sends a strong message to insurance companies to stop abusive claims practices that target lower-income accident victims, whose only health care option is treatment on a lien basis,” said Jones, adding, “An insurer should pay all reasonable and necessary medical expenses, period.”

Linley Jones attributes much of the success of this case to the efforts of Anita Wallace Thomas of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, who served as second chair in the trial, and renowned Atlanta jury trial consultant Andy Sheldon, who also assisted in witness preparation and jury selection.

Linley Jones, P.C., an Atlanta, Georgia-based law firm, represents victims of personal injury and wrongful death that involve brain and spinal cord injuries. The firm offers an unmatched personal commitment to its clients and achieves outstanding results on their behalf. For more information, please call (404) 261-0500 or email linley@linleyjones.com.