Pro se plaintiff wins $140,000 verdict against Allstate

A federal jury has awarded a former St. Louis resident $140,000 in a breach of contract suit against Allstate.

Reginald Bailey and his wife, Roxanna Bailey, sued Allstate for denying their homeowners’ insurance claim after their north St. Louis house caught fire in April 2008. Allstate denied the claim after their fire investigator concluded the fire was arson, according to court files. The case was removed to the St. Louis-based federal court in September 2008.

Bailey, who now lives in Grenada, Miss., represented himself at trial. The jury returned its verdict in the three-day trial on Wednesday.

The case is Reginald Bailey and Roxanna Bailey v. Allstate Property & Casualty Insurance Co., 4:08-cv-1456-TCM.