It was rhetorical. 
I think I, um . . . fantasized it.
Let’s see . . . 2005 - 3 = 2002. I have trouble keeping track of what year it is.
Consider yourself shocked. Expense reimbursement is part of the industry standard Personal Auto Policy. It’s not a “cost of defense” per se, but rather a “supplementary payment” included with your liability coverage.
Huh. Learn something new every day. I guess when you said, “read the contract,” there was a reason for it.
And to clarify: these costs are not typically deducted from the liability limits shown on your policy. So if you are good for $100,000 in Bodily Injury damages, and your defense costs and such are $40,000, you are still good for $100,000 in BI settlements. We ‘eat’ the other expenses in exchange for the honor & privilege of serving you, the consumer.
what?
And I must say, if I were running an insurance company (I work for one, but I don’t run it!), this is one of the last places where I’d want to nickel-and-dime my customers. If my policyholder is testifying in a lawsuit, with tens of thousands of dollars at stake, I want that person well fed and well rested!
If it’s really just a meeting, this is a great idea. If it’s a deposition, a teleconference won’t work, although a videoconference might (they’re allowed, but there are cost and other issues to address).
If it’s an arbitration, which is where most Cook County fender-benders are sent, that won’t be allowed. (or at least, I’m not aware of any provision for that and have never heard of it being done.)
Let me reiterate the teleconference idea – do you know how much a sedan would cost if every bozo I worked with in Michigan had to fly to Mexico for a friggin’ meeting with me?
Sigh. The odds of this being just a meeting are fairly low. I know that’s the word the OP used, but as articulate as she is, I don’t think she has a whole lot of familiarity with the legal process, and she’s getting the information second-hand.
The first clue? Allstate and its attorneys are, I submit, familiar with telephones. They aren’t about to pay for a plane ticket for this guy (which the OP says they offered to do) just because they want to chat with him. So if the OP follows this suggestion and raises the idea of a teleconference, Allstate’s response is not going to be “Great idea! We never thought of that!”
As I’ve hinted (and now will come right out and say), this “meeting” is either a court-sponsored arbitration hearing or a deposition. No, I don’t know that for sure. But I can’t see any other reason why Allstate and its attorneys would want to cart this guy to Chicago at significant expense on a fender-bender case.