San Antonio-based USAA, a diversified financial services company and Texas’ largest domestic insurance provider, announced it has filed suit against USInsuranceOnline.com, accusing the company of purposely misleading consumers interested in purchasing USAA automobile insurance and redirecting them to other insurance companies’ agents.
“USInsuranceOnline knowingly misled consumers away from USAA, by pretending and disguising themselves as USAA representatives,” said Paul Berry, USAA spokesman. “They used our name and mark without USAA’s permission. They told our prospective members they could help them get USAA auto insurance, when in fact, they couldn’t. Instead, they sent the consumers’ personal information to other insurance agents.”
In an e-mailed announcement Berry said the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, names the operators of USInsuranceOnline.com, All Web Leads (AWL), its CEO James Waltrip, and its President Ryan Patterson, of Austin, and details how they established a website that deliberately diverted consumers looking to do business with USAA, to other companies’ agents who would pay USInsuranceOnline for the business lead. The suit has 10 counts ranging from trademark infringement, false advertising, and other forms of deception.
The Austin American Statesman reported on Mar. 4 that USInsuranceOnline.com Chief Operating Officer Bill Daniel said he could not comment on the lawsuit as he had not seen it.
Source: USAA, www.usaa.com; Austin American Statesman, www.statesman.com
Topics Lawsuits
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