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

NABC Donates Recycled Ride to Texas Veteran

The NABC, GEICO and Caliber Collision recently donated a refurbished vehicle to a deserving  Texas veteran.

The National Auto Body Council (NABC), along with GEICO and Caliber Collision, recently donated a refurbished vehicle to a deserving  Texas veteran via the NABC's Recycled Rides program.

The presentation took place at the Lone Star Changing and Saving Lives Golf Tournament at the Texas Star Golf Course. The 2018 Kia Soul was donated by GEICO, and the team at Caliber Collision Dallas fully refurbished the car.

Crash Champions Acquires Fender Mender Collision in Encinitas, Calif.

Crash Champions now operates a network of more than 100 locations across the state of California.

CAPA Elects New Members to Board of Directors and Technical Committee

The Certified Automotive Parts Association has announced the election of four members to its board of directors and three members to its technical committee.

Axalta Named 2023 General Motors Supplier of the Year

GM selects winners based on performance, innovation, cultural alignment with GM’s values and commitment to achieving GM’s ambitious goals.

Crash Champions Hosts Biannual Operations Leadership Conference

The three-day event featured presentations from Crash Champions Founder and CEO Matt Ebert, executive leadership, senior operations leaders and more.

Other Posts

Driven Brands Collision Buzz Podcast Wins Awards

The Collision Buzz podcast won two awards from the U.S. Podcast Association (USPA).

CIF Announces United Recyclers Group as Repeat Annual Donor

This marks U.R.G.’s fourth consecutive donation at the Urgent Care tier.

Salem Auto Body: Since the 1920s

Salem Auto Body is located down the road from Gallows Hill, where Bridget Bishop was hanged in 1692 as part of the Salem witch trials.

Classic Collision Adds New Location in Washington State

Classic Collision has announced the acquisition of Blue Sky Auto Body in Tacoma, Wash.