BAD FAITH CLAIM CAN PROCEED AFTER COVERAGE CLAIM DISMISSED AS UNTIMELY; PRO SE PLEADING ADEQUATE TO AVOID DISMISSAL (Philadelphia Federal)
As we have discussed on this Blog for many years, case law is divided on whether statutory bad faith can exist if no coverage is due. We addressed this in some detail within this October 2018 post, summarizing a federal case where the court stated that Pennsylvania law allows for statutory bad faith even in the absence of any coverage obligation. In that October 2018 post, we additionally noted the presence of case law that would allow a bad faith claim to proceed where coverage is not due for procedural reasons, e.g., an otherwise covered claim is barred by a contractual limitations period. By contrast, this even more recent post summarizes an opinion, from the same federal court, finding there can be no bad faith if no coverage is due.
Linked here is a detailed article addressing whether Pennsylvania’s bad faith statute only addresses bad faith coverage denials and refusals to defend, and does not provide relief for poor claims handling or the like when these underlying benefits are not due. Under this view, poor claims handling or communications failures are evidence of statutory bad faith in denying benefits, but such conduct is not actionable (cognizable) statutory bad faith in itself.
BAD FAITH CLAIM CAN PROCEED EVEN IF COVERAGE NOT DUE UNDER CONTRACTUAL LIMITATIONS PROVISION
In the present case, arising out of the very same federal court as the aforementioned cases, the insured’s breach of contract claim was dismissed as time-barred by the policy’s suit limitation clause. The court, however, permitted the bad faith action to proceed. Specifically, the court stated: “Because Plaintiff asserts bad faith as to conduct beyond [the carrier’s] denial of coverage, the Court must consider the sufficiency of Plaintiff’s bad faith claim even though Plaintiff’s breach of contract claim is time-barred.”
The court quoted from footnote 3 of the 2017 Dagit case: “It is well established that a claim for bad faith brought against an insurer pursuant to 42 Pa. C.S. § 8371 is a separate and distinct cause of action and is not contingent on the resolution of the underlying contract claim. Thus, if bad faith is asserted as to conduct beyond a denial of coverage, the bad faith claim is actionable as to that conduct regardless of whether the contract claim survives.”
[Note: Dagit relies on cases such as Doylestown Electric Supply Co. v. Maryland Casualty Insurance Co., 942 F. Supp. 1018 (E.D. Pa. 1996), March v. Paradise Mutual Insurance Co., 646 A.2d 1254 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1994), and the Third Circuit’s unpublished opinion in Gallatin Fuels, Inc. v. Westchester Fire Ins. Co., 244 F. App’x 424 (3d Cir. 2007). As in the present case, Doylestown Electrical and March involved contractual suit limitations provisions barring coverage, and not lack of coverage under substantive policy provisions. Gallatin Fuels addressed the extraordinary situation where the policy was not in effect at the relevant time, but the court held the bad faith statute still applied because the insurer believed it had a policy in effect and acted poorly while holding that belief. These cases are addressed in the article linked here and above.]
INSURED ADEQUATELY PLEADS BAD FAITH
After finding the bad faith claim could proceed, the court still had to address the complaint’s adequacy. It found the bad faith claim adequately pleaded, stating:
[The insurer] argues that [the insured] does not provide any facts to support his allegation that [the insurer] acted in bad faith by denying him coverage under the insurance policy for the damage sustained to his home by the snowstorm. … To the contrary, [the insured] sets forth a myriad of facts to support his claim. For example, [the insured] alleges he was given contradictory information by [the insurer’s] agents as to the coverage of his policy and how he could collect under his policy and subsequently appeal [the insurer’s] denial of that coverage, which he relied upon to his detriment. … [The insured] also alleges that he was instructed to file multiple claims, which caused him to pay multiple deductibles and which ultimately discredited his claim. … In holding [the insured’s] Second Amended Complaint to a “less stringent standard,” as required of the Court in light of [his] pro se representation, the Court finds that [the insured] sufficiently alleged a claim for bad faith and Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss is denied as to this claim.
Date of Decision: May 10, 2019
Nguyen v. Allstate Insurance Co., U. S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania CIVIL ACTION NO. 18-5019, 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 79822 (E.D. Pa. May 10, 2019) (Kenney, J.)
