First of Its Kind Bad Faith Insurance Finding

Congratulations to trial lawyers Seth McCloskey and Steve Laird of Fort Worth-based Laird & McCloskey for a groundbreaking bad-faith insurance verdict, and to Durham, Pittard & Spalding’s Tammy Holt, who was an instrumental part of the trial team as appellate counsel.

The $944,000 verdict in the 153rd District Court in Tarrant County includes a first known finding that an insurance company’s delay and deny tactics during the handling of the Plaintiff’s uninsured/underinsured motorist claim process can cause separate damages for mental anguish. Following the verdict, the plaintiff’s team was awarded $259,682 in attorney fees and $197,401 in prejudgment interest and court costs.

The dispute follows an earlier January 2019 verdict related to a car wreck in which a jury determined the value of the Plaintiff’s damages as $190,000, well above the third-party’s minimum limits insurance policy and the Plaintiff’s own uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. A bad-faith insurance case was filed separately against State Farm under Sec. 541 of the Texas Insurance Code.

The August 2025 verdict totaled $944,000 and included $514,000 for the plaintiff’s past and future mental anguish plus an additional $400,000 in statutory, punitive damages based on a finding that State Farm’s conduct was committed knowingly.

At Durham, Pittard & Spalding, we are proud to partner with outstanding trial lawyers who are breaking new ground in holding insurers accountable and expanding protections for plaintiffs.