Body Shop Worker Claims Bosses Committed|Insurance Fraud for Benefit of Football Coach

He claims the chief deputy of the Knox County Sheriff's Department "approved an incident report pertaining to the collision that did not include the name of Lane Kiffin as being the driver of the vehicle in the collision," but he does not say where the deputy got his information, other than that it was "from a source other than Lane Kiffin and employees of defendants."

Then, Boling says, the "defendants entered into an agreement with Lane Kiffin that defendants would obtain proceeds from their insurance company, and from the sale of the vehicle, and Lane Kiffin would then pay the difference for his negligence is [sic] causing damage to the vehicle."

He claims the dealer defendants are "an authorized direct repair facility" for State Farm, which mean they "have authority to make estimates for repairs and then to make the repairs under the estimate without authorization, inspection or approval from State Farm Insurance."

Boling says the defendants estimated the repair cost as $29,188.02, and State Farm paid it to the penny, less the $1,000 deductible.

But that's not all. Boling claims, "Defendants did not repair the vehicle." He says, "Defendant and Doug White instead conducted a private sealed bid sale of the vehicle in its damaged condition."

Boling says he inspected the car "and believed it to be a vehicle he could repair for his wife," his co-plaintiff. He says he and his wife made a sealed bid of $28,000, which was accepted. He says he got a loan for the $28,000, "plus taxes and fees for a total of $31,238,67," then closed the deal with Andy White on Sept. 25, 2009. And he says, "Andy White had the State Farm Insurance check and a check from Lane Kiffin that, along with plaintiffs' check, paid defendants for the vehicle."

He says he and his wife registered the car in their names, and thus "became entitled to the benefits of the remaining factory warranty of defendant Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A."

Boling says that Doug White told him "to provide him with a list of parts and material required to repair the Kiffin vehicle purchased by plaintiffs." He says that he did so, and that he "replaced all damaged parts and materials for $2,734.17."

Boling says he "discovered defendants' estimate to repair the Kiffin vehicle was false." For example, he says he "expended 35 paint and body labor hours to repair the vehicle rather than the 148.9 paint and body hours billed by defendants and paid to defendants by State Farm Insurance."

He says the car "did not need frame hours billed by defendants and paid by State Farm Insurance."

He says: "Plaintiff Mark Boling repaired the Kiffin vehicle for approximately 15% of what defendants billed and were paid by State Farm Insurance."

He adds: "Lane Kiffin was the beneficiary of much of the overcharge by defendants to State Farm Insurance."

In November 2009, Boling says, a headlight became contaminated by moisture. He says the dealer filed a warranty claim and got $800 from Lexus for replacing the headlight, though "in truth and in fact" Boling did the work himself. Afterward, he said, he "was instructed to not discuss his purchase and repair of the Kiffin vehicle."

But the insurance shenanigans "became a topic of conversation within defendants' businesses," with the result that Doug White accused him of making a fraudulent warranty claim for the headlight, and firing him.

Boling seeks punitive damages for libel, false light, invasion of privacy, conversion, consumer law violations, and while he's at it, for a power steering malfunction.

Kiffin is not a defendant in this case. The Bolings are represented by Herbert Moncier.

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