In November 2020, a fire damaged Antonne and Lisa Gose’s barn-style property in Richmond, Indiana.
asserted
fire → damage → Richmond
Investigators concluded that the fire had been deliberately set but did not identify who was responsible.
asserted
who → conclude → ?
The couple said they were out of state when it happened and denied involvement.
asserted
it → say → involvement
Their insurer, Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, denied their claims, citing suspected arson and the couple’s failure to authorise access to records from a storage facility.
uncertain
insurer → deny → facility
The Goses sued for breach of contract and bad faith, but a trial court ruled for the insurer.
asserted
court → sue → insurer
On October 23, 2026, the Indiana Court of Appeals reversed that decision, allowing both claims to proceed.
uncertain
claims → reverse → decision
The court found that factual disputes remained over whether the couple had substantially complied with the insurance policies and whether the insurer had handled their claims in good faith.
uncertain
insurer → find → faith
The ruling does not guarantee an insurance payout; those issues remain unresolved.
asserted
issues → guarantee → payout
Investigators concluded the fire was deliberate
According to Law Justia, the couple’s property included a two-storey barn-style structure with a small residence, an unfinished garage and storage space, along with two greenhouses.
uncertain
property → conclude → greenhouses
The Richmond Fire Department responded early on November 16, 2020.
asserted
Department → respond → November
Firefighters found a melted red container resembling a gasoline container, and material recovered from the residence tested positive for gasoline.
asserted
material → find → gasoline
An independent investigator, Steve Cottingham of EFI Global, examined the scene for the insurer.
asserted
investigator → examine → insurer
He also reviewed surveillance footage from a neighbouring property showing a flash at the front entrance and a person moving towards a vehicle.
asserted
He → review → vehicle
In a report dated December 29, 2020, Cottingham concluded that gasoline had been poured throughout the interior before the vapours were ignited by someone outside the main entrance.
asserted
vapours → date → entrance
The fire department also determined that the fire had been deliberately set.
asserted
fire → determine → ?
The investigation did not identify the person who started it.
asserted
who → identify → it
The Goses said they were out of state at the time.
asserted
they → say → time
The insurer’s special investigator, Amy Delp, acknowledged that the couple provided documents supporting their travel and that neither appeared to be the person seen in the footage.
asserted
neither → acknowledge → footage
Both consistently denied involvement.
asserted
Both → deny → involvement
The disputed storage-unit records
Photo: Canva
The insurer’s investigation focused partly on belongings the Goses had moved out of the building before the fire.
asserted
Goses → dispute → fire
Bank statements showed recurring payments to SmartStop Self-Storage.
asserted
statements → show → Storage
Lisa initially denied that the couple had a storage unit, then said it belonged to Antonne’s father.
asserted
it → deny → father
Records obtained by the insurer showed two units rented in Antonne’s name.
asserted
Records → obtain → name
One was rented on October 10, 2020, and closed on November 24.
asserted
One → rent → November
The insurer asked the couple to sign an authorisation allowing it to obtain records from the facility and determine when the unit had been accessed.
asserted
unit → ask → facility
It also requested a credit report and phone records for November 2020.
asserted
It → request → November
The couple provided phone records beginning on November 16, the day of the fire, but did not provide the full period requested.
asserted
couple → provide → period
They never signed the storage-records authorisation, despite repeated requests.
asserted
They → sign → requests
Their lawyer withdrew from the case in August 2021, citing their failure to fulfil the insurer’s requests.
asserted
lawyer → withdraw → requests
Indiana Farm Bureau denied both claims on January 14, 2022, saying its investigation led it to believe the couple had caused, arranged, participated in or directed the loss.
uncertain
couple → deny → loss
It also cited their failure to cooperate.
asserted
It → cite → failure
The Goses filed suit in November 2022.
asserted
Goses → file → November
Why the appeals court revived the lawsuit
In September 2025, the Wayne Superior Court granted summary judgment to the insurer, finding that the couple’s failure to provide the storage authorisation breached policy requirements and that the insurer had a good-faith basis to dispute the claims.
uncertain
insurer → revive → claims
The Goses appealed.
asserted
Goses → appeal → ?
The Indiana Court of Appeals examined their contract and bad-faith claims separately.
uncertain
Court → examine → claims
On the contract claim, the appeals court distinguished between the couple’s commercial policy and their contents policy.
uncertain
court → distinguish → policy
The commercial policy required access to the insureds’ own books and records, which the court said did not extend to an authorisation for records held by an outside storage company.
asserted
court → require → company
The contents policy had broader wording that could cover the requested authorisation.
uncertain
that → have → authorisation
However, the court found that the evidence left a question over whether the couple had substantially complied with their obligations.
asserted
couple → find → obligations
The insurer’s investigator had acknowledged that the couple attended examinations under oath, provided records and answered questions.
asserted
couple → acknowledge → questions
…and 10 more, not listed.
The Aporia
