SUPERIOR COURT AFFIRMS DEFENSE VERDICT THAT 10 MONTH NEGOTIATION/INVESTIGATION PERIOD DID NOT AMOUNT TO BAD FAITH (Pennsylvania Superior Court) (non-precedential)
In this UIM case, the insured settled with the other driver for $50,000. The insurer initially determined the injury at issue did not arise from the accident, based on an IME. The insured later aggravated the injury, and his doctor determined the original injury was from the first accident.
The insured demanded the full UIM policy limits ($100,000). The insurer offered $7,500(considering $50,000 had already been paid). Over the next ten months, the insurer increased the offer six times, ultimately paying the $100,000 policy limit.
The insured sued for bad faith. After a six-day bench trial, the trial court found no bad faith under the Pennsylvania statute. The Superior Court of Pennsylvania affirmed.
The appellate court relied upon the following trial court findings in upholding the defense verdict:
“In this case, the trial court found that [the insurer] never denied Appellant’s claim.”
“Instead, it determined that ‘[b]y all accounts … [the] investigation was vigorous; [the insurer] sought and received numerous medical records, ordered independent medical examinations and sought to reconcile often conflicting or changing information, all the time communicating with [the insured] and his attorney.’”
“It further opined that ‘the ten-month negotiation period under examination cannot be deemed unreasonable’ where it was ‘undisputed that [the insured’s] treatment was off-again and on-again throughout this period, substantiating [the insurer’s] observation that [the insured’s] claim, from a medical standpoint, was a ‘fluid file’ with ongoing developments that complicated the evaluation process.’”
“As such, the trial court concluded that at ‘[e]ach step of the way, [the insurer] acknowledged and credited new information and responded accordingly [during the tenth month period].”
“The trial court also methodically details the procedural timeline of [the insurer’s] six increasing offers based upon the information as it became available … over the 10-month time period involved.”
Date of Decision: April 18, 2019
Camiolo v. Erie Insurance Exchange, Superior Court of Pennsylvania No. 478 EDA 2018, 2019 Pa. Super. Unpub. LEXIS 1456 (Pa. Super. Ct. April 18, 2019) (Dubow, Olson, Stevens, JJ.)
