Business1 min read

Mother of 10 denied husband's $350,000 life insurance wins $11.3m jury award

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Jose Gaitan originally secured the coverage in 2018 to safeguard his family's income, maintaining monthly premium payments of approximately $800 until his death in May 2020. Farmers New World Life Insurance denied the payout later that year based on medical history responses, offering merely a $17,000 premium refund instead of the full benefit. Vaneza Ramos declined the settlement offer and filed suit after text messages revealed the company's agent was actually aware of her husband's prior heart-related hospital stay. The prolonged litigation ultimately required two separate trials to resolve the carrier's contractual obligations and penalize its bad faith conduct.

Key points

  • The Douglas County jury awarded $11.3 million to Vaneza Ramos after finding the insurance…: The Douglas County jury awarded $11.3 million to Vaneza Ramos after finding the insurance company acted in bad faith.
  • A six-year legal dispute across two separate trials concluded with the final verdict on O…: A six-year legal dispute across two separate trials concluded with the final verdict on October 16, 2026.
  • The family successfully proved that the insurance company wrongfully denied coverage desp…: The family successfully proved that the insurance company wrongfully denied coverage despite receiving accurate health disclosures.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

A Douglas County jury in Nebraska has awarded $11.3 million (£8.7 million) in damages to an Omaha mother of 10 children. The jury found that Farmers New World Life Insurance acted in bad faith when it refused to pay her late husband's $350,000 life insurance policy after he died from COVID-19. The verdict was delivered on 16 October 2026, bringing years of legal battles between Vaneza Ramos and the insurance company to a major decision. The details come from court documents and statements released by her lawyers at Pesek Law. The case involved two separate jury trials in the District Court of Douglas County under case number CI 22-2057. The final ruling against the insurer followed a six-year legal fight. It began after Ramos lost her husband and was left to care for her family and newborn baby while facing an uncertain financial future.

Policy purchase and claim refusal

In 2018, Ramos's husband, Jose Gaitan, was encouraged by a local Farmers Insurance agent to transfer his existing life insurance coverage to the company. Gaitan then bought a $350,000 (£269,000) life…

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