Texas Couple Drops ‘Neighbor from Hell’ Lawsuit Against State Farm

Texas Couple Drops ‘Neighbor from Hell’ Lawsuit Against State Farm

Matthew and Marcia Seebachan, the couple suing a Dallas body shop for allegedly botching a roof repair on their vehicle, have dropped a related lawsuit against State Farm.

Matthew and Marcia Seebachan, the couple suing a Dallas body shop for allegedly botching a roof repair on their vehicle, have dropped a related lawsuit against State Farm.

The Seebachans provided no explanation for their request to have the case dismissed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.

The move comes only two weeks after the Seebachans’ attorney, Todd Tracy, filed the lawsuit, which proclaimed that State Farm was “a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde creature that turns into the ‘neighbor from hell.’”

“State Farm secretly and covertly plays Russian Roulette with its customers and the public by forcing body shops to choose their profits over the safety of the motoring public,” Tracy said in a news release announcing the filing of the lawsuit in early August.

The lawsuit alleged that State Farm strong-armed John Eagle Collision Center into using an adhesive to replace the hail-damaged roof of the Seebachans’ 2010 Honda Fit before they owned it. Honda’s repair specifications call for the roof to be welded.

The shoddy repair exacerbated their injuries when the Seebachans were involved in a 2013 collision, the couple alleged in the State Farm lawsuit and contends in a separate lawsuit against John Eagle Collision Center of Dallas.

The John Eagle lawsuit includes some unflattering testimony from Boyce Willis, the body shop director, who asserted that the shop’s repair procedures are “guided by insurance.”

“So … if you brought your car into my shop, right, the insurance company’s going to dictate what – how we’re going to repair your car,” Willis said in a deposition.

Tracy responded by asking: “[A]s a certified body shop … the insurance company cannot trump the OEM specifications, correct, sir?”

“Yes, they can,” Willis answered. “By not paying the bill.”

You May Also Like

Hunter Announces Partnership with UpdatePromise

The integration partnership with UpdatePromise will allow service advisors quick access to Hunter’s Quick Check Drive and Quick Tread Edge autonomous inspection results.

Hunter Engineering announced a new integration partnership with leading automotive software provider UpdatePromise. The integration will allow service advisors quick access to Hunter’s Quick Check Drive and Quick Tread Edge autonomous inspection results, allowing them to identify alignment and tread depth concerns and bring them to the attention of vehicle owners.

CIECA Announces 1Source ADAS as New Corporate Member

1Source ADAS provides ADAS software that generates a post-repair report identifying needed calibrations based on a collision repair estimate.

AkzoNobel, China Exploring Electron Beams for Curing Coatings

E-beam technology is a fast-growing scientific field and could offer significant advantages over conventional thermal curing methods,

Judges Selected for Techs Rock Awards

TechForce Foundation has unveiled the celebrity judges for its 6th Annual Techs Rock Awards.

WIN Conference Registration Now Open

This year’s conference, themed “Dream Out Loud”, will be held May 6-8, 2024 at the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach in Newport Beach, Calif.

Other Posts

Insurer Report Card Survey Deadline Coming Up

Time is running out for collision repairers to grade the performance of auto insurers in their state.

NABC to Host Three Golf Fundraisers in 2024

The NABC Changing and Saving Lives golf fundraisers provide an opportunity to join industry colleagues and customers for great golf and support the NABC.

BodyShop Business Honors Thomas Baunach with National Award

BodyShop Business recently recognized Thomas Baunach, an ASE-certified collision technician from Bethlehem, Pa., with the 2023 BodyShop Business/ASE Master Collision Repair & Refinish Technician of the Year award.

Are You the Oldest Body Shop in America?

We’re looking for the oldest auto body shop in America. Is it you?