After Clippinger sued, State Farm triggered the appraisal clause in the insurance policy, which allows either side to seek a binding independent valuation if they cannot agree on the payout. Three appraisers produced three different numbers. State Farm’s appraiser came in at $14,432 – actually below the original payout. Clippinger’s appraiser said $17,756.69. The neutral third appraiser landed at $18,476.13. Clippinger’s appraiser eventually came around to the third appraiser’s figure, and the two issued a written decision valuing the van at $18,476. Under the policy’s terms, that number was binding. State Farm paid Clippinger more than $4,000 on top of what she had already received.
