Trial Magazine

One to One Ministries filed a claim with Penn-America Insurance Co. after its building suffered a partial roof collapse. Although the building was insured for $560,000, with $50,000 in personal property coverage, Penn-America denied the claim. One to One Ministries was unable to rebuild and received a citation for the building’s state of disrepair.

The organization sued Penn-America, alleging breach of contract and bad faith. The plaintiff alleged the defendant had refused to share its coverage concerns during its investigation and then denied the claim despite an engineering report indicating that the roof collapse should be covered under the policy.

The jury awarded the plaintiff $3.3 million plus attorney fees.

Citation: One to One Ministries, Inc. v. Penn-America Ins. Co., No. 2020-CP-38-01274 (S.C. Cir. Ct. Orangeburg Cnty. June 9, 2023).

Plaintiff counsel: AAJ member Justin Lucey and Stephanie Drawdy, both of Mount Pleasant, S.C.