A Southern California classic car collector who said he watched as his 1969 Chevrolet Camaro was stolen is gearing up for a lawsuit after the company that insured the classic car claimed it was instead sold and shipped overseas.
An attorney for Michael Sunter said Hagerty Insurance, which specializes in classic car insurance, failed to conduct a proper investigation after the theft of the rare car in October 2011.
"They have to do a complete, fair and thorough investigation before denying a claim, and they didn’t do that here," said attorney Travis Corby.
The car is more than metal, glass and rubber to Sunter, who said it was in pieces when he found it for sale 20 years ago in Kentucky. The 1969 model is widely considered the finest example of the Camaro, built to help Chevy catch up with Ford and its iconic Mustang in the pony car market.
Sunter brought car back to Torrance and spent years reassembling the vehicle.
"I loved that car, that car was important," Sunter said. "That’s just something that's embedded inside your soul."
His connection to the car explains his reaction in October 2011 when he and a friend returned from buying propane to see someone driving the easily recognizable orange Camaro in their direction.
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"I just immediately realized that it was my car," Sunter said. "It felt like my throat fell out of my stomach."
The car was reported stolen to Torrance police and Sunter filed an insurance claim. Coverage was for $85,000.
The insurance company refused to pay, claiming the Camaro was not stolen, but sold and shipped to Australia in June 2009 -- more than two years before the vehicle theft report.
The company's investigation ignored evidence, Corby said. Documents show the Camaro was inspected by a company employee after it was claimed to have been shipped to Australia, according to Corby.
"The insurance company never investigated the fact that their own agent had inspected the car in August 2009, two months after it was allegedly shipped to Australia," Corby said. "The bottom line is that there is so much evidence showing that Michael Sunter had possession of this car."
Sunter also provided pictures of himself with the car in front of a house that he moved into in 2010, after the claimed sale, and another photo of a 2010 DMV registration sticker on the license plate.
The individual listed as the car's buyer told NBC4 a clerical error resulted in the Camaro's title being mixed up with another car that he purchased.
Hagerty Insurance refused to speak on camera with NBC4, but provided a statement.
"We are confident this claim has been handled properly, but due to ongoing litigation we are unable to provide specific details at this time," the company said in the statement.
The lawsuit is scheduled for trial in June.
NBC4's Jonathan Lloyd contributed to this report.
