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A Saskatchewan judge says he hopes awarding nearly $5 million in damages to a man who was treated in an “abhorrent” manner by insurance companies after getting injured on the job will get the industry’s attention.

Luciano Branco, now 62, was working as a welder for a Cameco subsidiary in Kyrgyzstan when his foot was injured in two incidents in December 1999 and March 2000.

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His workers’ compensation benefits were covered by an American Home Assurance Company (AIG) policy, based on benefits payable under the Workers’ Compensation Board in Saskatchewan. After doctors found him to be permanently disabled, Branco’s long-term disability benefits were covered by a Zurich Life Insurance policy.

However, Justice Murray Acton found both companies acted in a “cruel and malicious” manner toward Branco for a decade, offering him “ridiculously low” settlements and intermittent payments, hoping he would crack under the pressure.