2 firms fight insurance claim on boat that sank; mom missing

HARTFORD, Conn. – Two firms are trying to avoid reimbursing a Connecticut native for the loss of his boat after it sank with his mother on board under suspicious circumstances.

The Hartford Courant reported Thursday the National Liability & Fire Insurance Co. and the Boat Owners Association of the United States are seeking a judge’s ruling as they refuse to pay the $85,000 insurance policy on Nathan Carman’s boat.

The boat sank off Massachusetts after departing from Rhode Island last September. Carman’s mother, Linda Carman, is presumed dead.

The companies suggest in court filings Carman’s potential “criminal wrongdoing” could bar his claim.

Carman’s family has filed a lawsuit in New Hampshire accusing him of killing his mother and his grandfather years earlier to collect a $7 million inheritance.

Carman lives in Vermont now and has denied any involvement.

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Information from: Hartford Courant, http://www.courant.com