Washington court removes $47M in damages but upholds bad-faith findings after deadly family crash

A Washington State appeals court has removed about $47 million in punitive and additional statutory damages awarded against Nationwide Affinity Insurance Company. However, it upheld key findings that the insurer acted in bad faith when handling a tragic car crash in 2017. The decision by Division III of the Washington Court of Appeals, published on 10 November 2026, is the latest development in a long-running legal case.

The case began after a crash that killed three young children and seriously injured their parents. The case involved Meseret Shiferaw, whose vehicle was hit by a semi-truck during a trip to Alberta, Canada, in 2017. All three of her children died in the crash.

Shiferaw suffered a broken back, while her husband, Solomon Agere, broke his neck.Tragic crash and legal complicationsAfter the crash, the family faced complicated legal and insurance disputes over their coverage. Shiferaw had a personal car insurance policy with Nationwide. Under the rules for accidents outside the state, the policy provided up to $200,000 in liability coverage.