GOSHEN – It could take
several months before a judge decides how much the insurance company for
the Pine Bush Central School District must pay a group of students who
were the subjects of repeated anti-Semitic bullying in the past.
A federal court recently ruled the Utica National Insurance Group must
pay $4.48 million, but the company refused to so the district took the
issue to State Supreme Court.
Justice Elaine Slobod Monday ruled the company must pay and on Tuesday,
said the insurance company’s three-year delay in notifying the district
of its refusal of coverage was “unreasonable and therefore, ineffective.”
The judge authorized a “period of discovery” to determine
the amount of coverage Utica National is required to provide the district.
The school district “is committed to securing the appropriate insurance
coverage to relieve any burden from taxpayers of the district and to ensure
the company is held responsible for its unfair practices,” said
Schools Superintendent Joan Carbone.
