Mansell, Engel & Cole
  • Home
  • About
    • Steven S. Mansell
    • Mark A. Engel
    • Kenneth G. Cole
    • Keith F. Givens
    • Adam Engel
    • Zachary K. Housel
  • Practice Areas
    • Denied Claims & Disputes
    • Types Of Insurance
  • Case Results
  • Blog
  • Contact
Select Page

Judge employs a single word re insurer’s conduct: audacious

On behalf of Mansell, Engel & Cole | Aug 31, 2017 | Insurance Disputes

No ambiguity attaches to a judge’s ruling in a recent legal dispute involving mega insurer State Farm.

In fact, venom fairly leaps from the pen of Pennsylvania judge Frederica Massiah-Jackson in her ruling denying that company’s motion to stop pending litigation against it.

The ire — on display via the judge’s reference to State Farm’s “audacious” conduct tied to “illusory coverage” that bilked a good-faith policyholder for 18 years — clearly presages the difficult time that the insurance behemoth might reasonably expect to encounter when a jury focuses attention on the things that Massiah-Jackson has seen and weighed in on. Following is a nutshell narrative of the litigation-linked tale and some material details.

A man bought so-called “stacked coverage” for two vehicles years ago. When one was stolen, he dutifully notified State Farm, which deleted that vehicle from coverage.

And then, allegedly, the insurer continued to charge that policyholder for the deleted-but-not-really-deleted stacked coverage for an additional 15 years. And, while doing so, it deprived the payer of material information critical to his billing and payment amount.

Namely, notes one media report on the matter, it “concealed the stacking and prevented him knowing about the additional coverage he was paying for.”

Massiah-Jackson could not abide that, rejecting the insurer’s contention that the policyholder’s claim must be dropped for failure to state a valid claim.

Indeed, noted the judge, there were several huge questions of fact to be properly adjudged by a courtroom jury, including its assessment of State Farm’s “stacking of coverage when it had actual knowledge such contracts were clearly erroneous.”

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

Recent Posts

  • Contesting a home insurance claim denial or settlement
  • Fighting a denied earthquake insurance claim
  • Overview of Oklahoma’s bad faith laws
  • Common reasons why health insurance denies claims
  • When a life insurance company denies a claim

Archives

  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016

Categories

  • Blog
  • Denied Insurance Claims
  • Firm News
  • Insurance
  • Insurance Disputes

RSS Feed

Subscribe To This Blog’s Feed

Start Your
Free Insurance
Claim Review

Mansell, Engel & Cole The Insurance Attorneys

Office Address

204 N. Robinson Ave.
21st Floor
Oklahoma City, OK 73102

Map & Directions

Get In Touch

Phone: 405-212-5921
Fax: 405-232-4140

  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow
IBFTLA - Insurance Bad Faith Trial Lawyers Association
Member of The National Trial Lawyers - Top 100 Trial Lawyers
AV Preeminent Rated Lawyers
Review Us

© 2021 Mansell, Engel & Cole. All Rights Reserved.

Disclaimer | Site Map | Privacy Policy | Business Development Solutions by FindLaw, part of Thomson Reuters