Michigan Attorney Gets Sued For Second Time For Speaking Out About CURE Auto Insurance
Farmington Hills, MI, Nov. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CURE, which began doing business in Michigan in 2021, files state and federal lawsuits after attorney and law firm with more than 50 years of experience in this state speaks out in a blog post, a website and on billboards about CURE’s increasing number of customer complaints, 25% deposit that insureds must pay on top of their premiums, and rescinding policies after customers file claims at a rate of over one customer per day, according to sworn testimony under oath by a Cure Insurance company representative.
Car accident attorney Steven M. Gursten and his law firm, Michigan Auto Law, are being sued for the second time by CURE Auto Insurance for speaking out in a blog post, on a website, and on billboards about the New Jersey-based auto insurer, which entered the Michigan market in 2021 and opened its first office in Detroit in 2023.
CURE’s lawsuits accuse Gursten and Michigan Auto Law of defamation and trademark infringement.
Gursten unequivocally denies the accusations.
“We stand by every word on the blog post, website, and billboards and we will defend our First Amendment right to speak out on matters of public concern such as this which involve consumer advocacy and protecting the public,” said Steven M. Gursten, lead attorney at Michigan Auto Law. “We are speaking out in order to provide honest and accurate information about CURE Auto Insurance and its practices under Michigan’s No-Fault insurance laws. We believe that providing transparent, fact-based information to consumers is essential in helping them make informed decisions about their auto insurance and so they can better protect themselves and their loved ones.”
The Lawsuits
The first time CURE Auto Insurance sued Gursten and Michigan Auto Law was in a lawsuit filed in Wayne County Circuit Court on August 28, 2024. CURE alleged that statements made in a blog post that Gursten published on the Michigan Auto Law website were defamatory.
Less than three months later, on November 5, 2024, CURE dismissed its lawsuit against Gursten and Michigan Auto Law. A final order of dismissal was entered by the court on November 11, 2024.
On November 13, 2024, CURE filed a new lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, alleging both defamation and trademark infringement as to the blog post as well as a website and billboards.
The Blog Post
In a February 2024 blog post entitled “Is Cure Auto Insurance Good In Michigan?,” which was posted on the Michigan Auto Law website, Gursten shared important information with consumers to help drivers make informed decisions about their auto insurance.
The Michigan Auto Law blog post addressed the following issues:
- CURE Auto Insurance's complaint ratio, i.e., the total number of complaints from its insureds divided by the millions of dollars collected in premiums from its insureds, is among the highest in Michigan, according to data reported by the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS).
- 76% of the consumer complaints against CURE Auto Insurance in Michigan had to do with claims handling.
- CURE requires drivers to pay a 25% deposit on top of their auto insurance premiums.
- When CURE refused to pay for a spinal surgical procedure for its insured after a car accident because the auto insurer claimed it was “not medically necessary to treat” the insured, the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services ordered CURE to pay because the surgery was in fact “medically necessary” and it was “justified and in accordance with the standard of care.”
- In its public statements, CURE is sending a dangerous message to its insureds, many of whom live in Detroit, that unlimited PIP medical coverage is unnecessary. This leaves many of these customers dangerously vulnerable to losing everything if they are ever seriously injured in an automobile accident.
The post in question was part of Michigan Auto Law’s ongoing efforts to ensure that Michigan drivers are fully informed about the options available to them, particularly after the 2019 changes to the state’s auto insurance laws.
The Website
After Gursten was sued in August, Gursten and Michigan Auto Law launched a new website called “whencurewontpay.com.” That earlier August lawsuit was dismissed by CURE who then refiled the lawsuit in federal district court last Wednesday. On the website, consumers will learn:
- In 2023, CURE Auto Insurance had the third highest number of consumer complaints among Michigan’s 85 largest auto insurers - even though it was only the 20th largest auto insurer!
- CURE revoked more than 1 policy per day between October 2023 and mid-February 2024, according to the sworn testimony of a CURE employee.
- Passing Michigan’s new No-Fault law in 2019 was part of CURE Auto Insurance’s business growth plan to enter the Michigan insurance market.
- CURE’s CEO Eric Poe was “involved in actually writing the law” that imposed limits on family attendant care and created the No-Fault fee schedule, which has so harshly affected the lives of so many car crash victims and their families.
- CURE waited to come to Michigan until the law included medical fee schedules and caps on No-Fault medical coverage.
The Billboards
One of the billboards on which Gursten and Michigan Auto Law speak out about CURE Auto Insurance lists the website, “whenCUREwontpay.com.”
Another billboard relates information about customer complaints against CURE: “Cure Ins. is the 20th largest in MI, but 3rd in complaints? Whoa.” and then lists “whenCUREwontpay.com.”
Gursten’s and Michigan Auto Law’s Sources
Gursten asserts that the CURE information he has spoken out about was sourced directly from information published on the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services website and from CURE Insurance’s own website as well as public records, media reports, sworn testimony, client experiences, and the personal observations of Gursten and the 25 other auto accident and insurance lawyers at Michigan Auto Law who represent clients with first-hand experience of CURE claims handling practices.
Gursten and the Michigan Auto Law Blog
Gursten has been writing about insurance companies for over a decade on the law firm’s Michigan Auto Law Blog. He writes based upon his own first-hand experiences as an auto accident attorney and consumer advocate, which provides a unique insight into which insurance companies he recommends and which he tells people they may want to avoid.
The law firm’s blog has been recognized as one of the nation’s best on insurance issues and as one of the very best in the nation by Justia. It has been a trusted source of legal information for more than a decade, providing consumers guidance on auto insurance and other issues that can affect their legal rights.
Although Gursten has spoken out about many of the biggest insurance companies in Michigan on the Michigan Auto Law Blog, CURE Insurance is the first auto insurer to file a lawsuit over information and opinions that Gursten has written about.
The blog post “Is Cure Auto Insurance Good In Michigan?” can be viewed here. The website, “whenCUREwontpay.com” can be viewed here. For more information about Michigan Auto Law, visit Michigan Auto Law's website or follow them on social media.
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About Michigan Auto Law
Michigan Auto Law is Michigan’s largest law firm in auto accident cases. For more than 50 years, the firm has litigated thousands of motor vehicle accidents and personal injury lawsuits, securing more multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts throughout the State of Michigan than any other law firm. Michigan Auto Law has been listed for 17 consecutive years with top reported settlements and trial verdicts in Michigan. Michigan Auto Law attorneys are nationally recognized leaders in auto crash litigation, and the law firm has been called “the best in the business” by Michigan Lawyers Weekly newspaper and has been named to “The Best Lawyers in America” for 10 years in a row. Michigan Auto Law’s mission is to put people first, help those in need, and help make Michigan a better and safer place. For more information about Michigan Auto Law, visit our website, or connect with us on social media at Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok.
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