If you lie on an application for auto, life, health or disability insurance, you may find yourself without much-needed coverage. Unfortunately, some people, in an effort to reduce their premiums, grossly misrepresent the facts.
In January, the Supreme Court of Virginia upheld the denial of benefits to be paid to a seriously injured automobile accident victim, because the owner of the car in which the victim was injured had failed to disclose all of the potential drivers who were living at the household and might have access to the car. The court ruled that there were several places on the application where this question was asked and each time the policyholder failed to disclose that a 21-year-old relative was living in the house.
That 21-year-old relative was the driver of a car in a single-car accident that seriously injured its passenger, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills. When her claim was made to the insurance company, there was an investigation and the insurance company ultimately denied coverage because it said that had it known of the young driver, it likely would have sold the policy at a substantially higher price. The Supreme Court ruled that this was a material misstatement of fact which nullified the policy.
Unfortunately, over the years families have been left financially devastated when someone bought medical or life insurance benefits and failed to disclose relative past medical history. We can guarantee you that after you’re gone, the insurance company will investigate the truthfulness of your application and if it finds that you made material misrepresentations, your widowed spouse will be coming to our firm, but we will be telling her that we can’t help her and the children. Be honest.
Emery Brett Ledger brings more than 27 years of experience to personal injury law. He founded & led The Ledger Law Firm in securing over $100 million in compensation for clients with life-altering injuries & complex claims. Licensed in California, Texas, & Washington, Emery earned his law degree from Pepperdine University School of Law. His practice areas include car & truck accidents, wrongful death, catastrophic injuries, maritime claims, & mass tort litigation. He has been recognized by The National Trial Lawyers’ Top 100, Mass Tort Trial Lawyers Top 25, and America’s Top 100 Personal Injury Attorneys. Emery also received the 2025 Elite Lawyer Award & holds a perfect 10.0 Avvo rating with Platinum Client Champion status. His legal work has been featured on CNN, Forbes, NBC, & ABC.
