Woman, 100, Settles Suit Against Insurance Firm

The 100-year-old woman who said she was shortchanged by her insurance company after her home burned down has settled her lawsuit out of court, both sides announced Tuesday.

The terms of the settlement between Anne Campbell Smith and Colonial Penn Insurance Co. were not disclosed.

Colonial Penn attorney Terry Rowland said the company agreed to the settlement rather than face the negative publicity of defending itself against the centenarian.

“We did not settle for any weakness in the case,” he said. “The case could not have been going any better for us. But the adverse consequences of having the media there made the trial, the reality of this case, almost irrelevant, almost secondary. The company didn’t look forward to more publicity.”

Smith had sued Colonial Penn in San Bernardino Superior Court for allegedly refusing to make fully good on her insurance policy when her 77-year-old Upland home burned to the ground in 1988.

Smith and her 80-year-old son, Stuart Campbell, had sued Colonial Penn unsuccessfully in several other courts before they finally went to trial in Rancho Cucamonga.

When Smith was scheduled to testify on her own behalf last week, a publicist for her attorney put the word out, and the media showed up. Smith gave charming courtroom interviews while Rowland could only stand by.

Instead of her taking the witness stand, the case moved to the judge’s chambers for settlement talks. On Tuesday, the court announced the resolution.

So what plans are in store for Smith, who turned 100 on Friday?

“She could build a new home now, but she’ll more likely use the money to buy a home,” Bill Shernoff said. “It’s faster.”

But the home won’t be just for his client, Shernoff said. “She’d like to have some elderly people live with her, for her to take care of. She’s been living in a retirement home, and worried about people who can’t take care of themselves, who can’t see or hear well and who get lost in the hallways. She wants to help them.”