The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the district court’s order in the defendant insurer’s favor, dismissing the complaint and rejecting a claim that the plaintiff’s universal life policy was ambiguous and thus had to be construed against the insurer, in Anderson v. Wilco Life Insurance Co., 2021 U.S. App. LEXIS 33846 (11th Cir. Nov. 15, 2021). Vanessa…
Tag: Insurance
Appellate Lapses Ding Body Shops’ Antitrust Appeal
In another appeal from the body shops vs. insurers antitrust MDL, Automotive Alignment & Body Service, Inc. v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co., 2020 WL 1074420 (Mar. 6, 2020), the Eleventh Circuit first delved into two procedural questions arising from lapses by appealing plaintiffs, one concerning appealability; the other, reviewability. The appellants were three…
Eleventh Circuit Affirms Dismissal With Prejudice of Auto Shops’ RICO Complaint Against Insurers
The Eleventh Circuit has affirmed the dismissal with prejudice of a putative class action brought by auto body collision repair shops against dozens of insurers and alleging RICO violations, fraud, and unjust enrichment. Crawford’s Auto Center, Inc. v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co., 2019 WL 6974428 (Dec. 20, 2019). The plaintiffs alleged that the…
Automobile Insurer’s “Lessor Liability Endorsement” Is Not Illusory
An automobile insurer’s “Lessor Liability Endorsement” is not illusory, notwithstanding the fact that federal law bars claims of vicarious liability against vehicle lessors, because the endorsement imposes upon the insurer a duty to defend lessors against vicarious liability claims. Hallums v. Infinity Ins. Co., 2019 WL 6872507 (11th Cir. Dec. 17, 2019). The plaintiffs entered…
Class-Action Plaintiff Lacks Standing to Challenge Policy Interpretation After Exhaustion of Personal Insurance Benefits
Citing a lack of standing, the Eleventh Circuit threw out an insurance class action that had been pending for several years in A&M Gerber Chiropractic LLC v. GEICO General Insurance Co., 2019 WL 1746869 (11th Cir. Apr. 19, 2019), leaving unsettled an “important issue” related to personal-injury-protection (PIP) benefits under Florida’s Motor Vehicle No-Fault Law….
Federal Law Does Not Prevent Foreclosure Against Surviving Spouse of “Reverse-Mortgage” Borrower If Contractually-Authorized
The federal statute that prevents HUD from insuring a reverse mortgage that permits foreclosure while the borrower’s surviving spouse lives in the mortgaged property does not similarly prohibit the lender from foreclosing after the borrower’s death, as long as the foreclosure is otherwise permitted by the loan documents. Estate of Jones v. Live Well Fin.,…