A commentary on insurance coverage issues in Hawaii and beyond
Answering a certified question, the Nevada Supreme Court determined that an insurer breaching its duty to defend may be liable for consequential damages caused to the insured. Century Sur. Co. c. Andrew, 2018 Nev. LEXIS 112 (Nev. Dec. 13, 2018).
Michael Vasquez struck a minor, causing significant brain injury. Vasquez used the…
The Eighth Circuit affirmed the district court's judgment that the insurer acted in bad faith when it denied the insured's claim based upon misrepresentations in the application after destruction of his house by fire. Hayes v. Metropolitan Pro. and Cas. Ins. Co., 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 31813 (8th Cir. Nov. 9, 2018).…
Reversing the intermediate appellate court, the Florida Supreme Court held the insurer liable for bad faith despite imperfect actions by the insured. Harvey v. GEICO Gen. Ins. Co., 2018 Fla. LEXIS 1705 (Fla. Sept. 20, 2018).
Insured James Harvey was involved in an auto accident in which the other driver…
The insurer was successful on summary judgment in establishing it correctly denied coverage for collapse, but its motion was denied regarding the insureds' bad faith claim. Jones v. State Farm Fire & Cas. Co., 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 153102 (W.D. Wash. Sept. 7, 2018).
The insureds' retaining wall collapsed. They…
The insured's claim for consequential damages survived the insurer's motion to dismiss. Tiffany Tower Condominium, LLC v. Ins. Co. of the Greater N.Y., 2018 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 5783 (N.Y. App. Div. Aug. 22, 2018).
Tiffany Tower submitted a claim in November 2012 with Insurance Company of the Great New…
Handling the third appeal of the matter, the Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals rejected the insured's claim for bad faith based upon an untimely denial of the claim. Adams v. Haw. Med. Serv. Ass'n, 2018 Haw. App. LEXIS 245 (Haw. Ct. App. June 8, 2018) (Disclaimer – our office is co-counsel for…
