Opinion ID: 758778
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Tutania and the Coffee Merchant Bandits

Text: 6 DeGeorge began losing yachts almost three decades ago. He had been the owner of the 43-foot yacht, Tutania. In 1970, he was interested in selling it. When a couple of purported Peruvian coffee merchants showed an interest in the yacht, DeGeorge arranged to take them for an overnight test-run. That night, the coffee merchants drugged him and his companion. DeGeorge and his companion, still feeling ill the next morning, escaped and sailed 35 miles back to shore in the yacht's dinghy while the coffee merchants remained on board the vessel. Five days later, DeGeorge reported the theft to the police. The Tutania and the Peruvian coffee merchant bandits were never seen again. 7 The Tutania had been insured by the Hartford Insurance Company. After DeGeorge threatened litigation for bad-faith denial of his claim, Hartford paid DeGeorge $43,000, the full policy value.