Houston litigator Greg Cox convinced a South Texas jury that an insurance company’s treatment of his client was so bad that it amounted to malice, turning what was originally a $76,500 hailstorm claim into a $1.8 million verdict recently.

Cox, an attorney in Houston’s Mostyn Law, represents John R. Griffith, a McAllen homeowner who sued USAA Texas Lloyd’s Co. in 2014 for fraud, breach of contract and violations of the Texas Insurance Code. Griffith alleged the insurance company failed to fully reimburse him for the severe damage his house sustained after it was pummeled by baseball-sized hail in a 2012 storm.

Griffith alleged the company failed to reasonably investigate his claim and paid for a portion of his roof repair; however, it failed to reimburse him for the totality of his loss including damage to the home’s interior, siding, pool deck and fence. USAA denied the allegations and alleged that Griffith had failed to prove that the losses he suffered were covered by his policy with the company.

Jury awarded exemplary damages

After a week-long trial, a Hidalgo County jury returned a verdict on Feb. 7 finding that not only had USAA breached its policy and committed fraud, but that the damage it inflicted on Griffith was done with malice, prompting them to award him $800,000 in exemplary damages on top of $1 million more for other causes of action.