Court awards $280,500 to ICBC in auto theft case

A civil action lawsuit brought by the Insurance Corp. of British Columbia (ICBC) against several parties involved in an auto theft ring has resulted in a jury awarding the crown insurer a total of $280,500 in damages. ICBC says it will also look to recover its legal costs against the defendants.The court award, which was held against Allan Morin, Russell Grant, Joseph Johnston, Carla Supeene, Allison Deblois and Aaron Deblois, consists of $191,000 in "special damages", an additional $19,500 in "general damages" and a further $70,000 in "punitive damages". The court case dates back to a 2001 investigation which uncovered that the six defendants had been engaged in buying "junkers" and using the vehicle identification numbers (VINs) thereof to replace that of new vehicles stolen by the theft ring.The latest court decision is the second substantial jury award made over the past 12 months in favor of ICBC relating to auto theft. A jury awarded the crown insurer $4.5 million in December 2003 in a civil lawsuit brought against two brothers found to be operating a vehicle "chop shop". Mark Withenshaw, vice president of loss management at ICBC notes, "this case sends a strong message to anyone involved in auto theft. ICBC has a zero tolerance policy on auto theft and fraud and we are pleased that those who participate in auto theft or attempt to defraud our policyholders are being held accountable."