Pack Brothers Collision Center of Belmont, N.C., announced it has won a short-pay suit against Nationwide.

A Nationwide insured and first-party claimant brought their late-model Lexus to Pack Brothers Collison Center to be repaired. Nationwide wrote the initial estimate. Pack Brothers dismantled the SUV and sent in for supplemental damages during the repair. Nationwide refused to re-inspect for the supplement at Pack Brothers and, upon completion of repairs, the insurer refused to pay the supplement, which left their insured owing Pack Brothers $7,600.

The customer hired the law firm of Martin and Jones to file a first-party bad faith lawsuit. In arbitration, the customer was awarded the money to pay the outstanding bill to Pack Brothers, plus attorney fees. Also, to avoid a lengthy trial, they signed a non-disclosure agreement.

Ronnie and Larry Pack, owners of Pack Brothers, have other outstanding unpaid repair bills like this, with customers having to sue their own insurance company to get repair bills paid. One current customer won the same type of short-pay lawsuit, but Allstate has appealed the decision.

“The tide is turning, and through customer education and the legal system, I hope the days where an insurance company just says we are not paying for repairs because we don’t want to are over,” said Ronnie Pack. “No one is above the law. When there is a contract between an insured and their company, they should protect their customer, not their profits.”