Jury orders FCCI to pay $6 million

SARASOTA — A jury in Broward County has ordered FCCI Insurance Group to pay $6 million in damages to Debra Peters, a plaintiff in a case involving a denied claim.

Peters sued FCCI after the company denied her business's insurance claim for Hurricane Wilma in 2005 and then attempted to bring criminal charges against her for filing a fraudulent claim, a release from Peters' attorneys says.

Peters' attorneys alleged in the case that FCCI breached its contract by denying Peters' claim for her business, a high-end furniture and cabinet company she ran with her husband, Ronald. The attorneys also allege that FCCI attempted to maliciously prosecute Peters by filing false and incomplete information with the Florida Department of Insurance.