In any action against any insurance company to recover the amount of any loss under a policy of automobile, fire, cyclone, lightning, life, health, accident, employers' liability, burglary, theft, embezzlement, fidelity, indemnity, marine or other insurance except automobile liability insurance, if it appears from the evidence that such company has refused to pay such loss without reasonable cause or excuse, the court or jury may, in addition to the amount thereof and interest, allow the plaintiff damages not to exceed twenty percent of the first fifteen hundred dollars of the loss, and ten percent of the amount of the loss in excess of fifteen hundred dollars and a reasonable attorney's fee; and the court shall enter judgment for the aggregate sum found in the verdict.
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 375.420
Vexatious refusal to pay claim, damages for, exception
Known as the Insurance Producers Act
The act spans §§ 375–375 (383 sections).
Applied in 30 court decisions — leading case United States Fidelity & Guaranty Co. v. Empire State Bank (1971)
Most recently applied in Academy Bank, N.A. v. Amguard Insurance Company (September 2024)
Effective: 28 Aug 1975; (RSMo 1939 § 6040, A.L. 1975 H.B. 93); Prior revisions: 1929 § 5929; 1919 § 6337; 1909 § 7068
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
Official source: Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Reproduced from public-domain Missouri statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.