A former NFL player has filed a lawsuit against his insurer over nearly a million dollars in losses he sustained following a home burglary, alleging that the insurer has yet to pay for damages.
Antonio Gates, who played for the San Diego and Los Angeles Chargers, and his wife Sasha Gates filed the suit in Los Angeles Superior Court, naming insurance company AIG as the defendant, California-based news outlet City News Service reported. They seek unspecified compensatory and punitive damages related to the burglary incident in 2018.
The suit stated that the Gates home – a 8,500 square feet property built in 2016 – was burglarised on December 02, 2018. At the time, Sasha and the couple’s children were sleeping inside, and Gates was away at work during the weeks before and after the incident.
Neither Sasha nor the children were hurt in the incident, the suit continued, and Sasha later called police. Footage from the residence’s security video revealed at least two people casually entering through the front garage door. The Gates determined over the next few months after the incident that the thieves stole over US$900,000 (around AU$1.2 million) worth of personal property, which includes designer clothing, shoes, purses, jackets, artwork, and sports memorabilia, the suit stated.
The suit also said that the Gates suspect the same perpetrators previously victimised them, and that the garage door was manipulated to allow for these prior intrusions.
AIG had insured the Gates’ home at that time, with the policy in effect from July 2018 to July 2019. The Gates had reported the burglary to the insurer shortly after the theft, the lawsuit claimed. However, the suit alleged that instead of immediately providing coverage, AIG had “engaged in a two-year plus investigation with no discernible end.”
The insurer had conducted multiple interviews and site inspections, but “despite the extensive investigation and severe invasions of privacy, AIG refuses to provide coverage for the claim or timely respond to the claim,” the suit said.
