An injured plaintiff attempted to assert bad faith claims against the tortfeasor’s insurer and its adjuster. In his Report and Recommendation, the Magistrate Judge observed that third-party claimants do not have a contractual relationship with such insurers, and thus have no standing to assert a bad faith claim. The District Court Judge agreed, and dismissed the putative bad faith failure to negotiate claim.
Dates of Decision: June 20, 2017 and August 9, 2017
Starrett v. Coe, No. 3:16-cv-02272, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 95793 (M.D. Pa. June 20, 2017) (Saporito, M.J.) (Report and Recommendation)
Starrett v. Coe, No. 3:16-cv-02272, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 126348 (M.D. Pa. August 9, 2017) (Caputo, J.)