Harley-Davidson Sues Insurance Providers for $290M in Costs Following Fatal Crash
Harley-Davidson was recently ordered to pay $290 million in damages, but it’s claiming that the sum should be covered by its insurance.
A recent high-profile case made waves when a lawsuit filed against Harley-Davidson by Harold Morris resulted in a court order requiring the company to pay the plaintiff a whopping $290 million in damages after Morris and his partner Pamela Sinclair were involved in a crash. Back in June 2020, that crash – which killed Sinclair and left Morris seriously injured – occurred after a recall was issued for his Harley-Davidson Tri Glide Ultra. Ultimately, a jury found Harley-Davidson to be liable in the case, but now, H-D is going after a number of insurance providers to try and recoup that money.
The lawsuit was recently moved to the United States District Court Eastern District of Wisconsin and argues that the damages Harley-Davidson has been ordered to pay should be covered under its own insurance policies. As such, MoCo is seeking to recoup the $287,846,737 it has been ordered to pay Morris in the previous case. “At all times, Harley-Davidson provided prompt and timely notice to all defendants relating to the claims asserted in the Morris-Sinclair matter,” the lawsuit reads.
The lawsuit was originally filed in the Milwaukee County Circuit Court back in August, with both Harley-Davidson Inc. and Harley-Davidson Motor Company named as plaintiffs. The company is requesting a jury trial, though as of this writing, none of the defendants have commented on the matter. Harley-Davidson has named multiple insurance providers in the case, including Allianz Global Risks U.S. Insurance Company, North American Capacity Insurance Company, Great American Spirit Insurance Company, The Continental Insurance Company, and Aspen American Insurance Company.
The recall that allegedly resulted in this fatal crash was issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration back in November 2019 after it found that certain 2019 and 2020 model year trikes can experience a faulty traction control system software issue in which that software could incorrectly respond to a faulty rear wheel speed signal by activating one of the rear brakes, increasing the risk of a crash. The problem reportedly affects one to four percent of the 12,624 trike models produced across those two years.
Photos: Harley-Davidson
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