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Insurer 's Conduct When No Bad Faith Is Pleaded
In what has commonly become known as the Koken decision, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court held that the Pennsylvania Insurance Department “does not possess the authority to require mandatory binding arbitration for UM and UIM disputes.” Prior to Koken, captioned as Insurance Federation of PA v. Department of Insurance, 585 Pa. 630, 889 A2d. 550 (2005), uninsured and underinsured claims were usually arbitrated before three-person panels with very limited appellate rights. Now, most of these claims are being litigated and many procedural and evidentiary issues are working their way through the courts.
Complaints filed to recover UM/UIM coverage range from simple single-count complaints alleging that the plaintiff was injured by the negligence of an uninsured or underinsured motorist and is entitled to recover UM/UIM coverage, to those also including claims for breach of contract or statutory bad faith pursuant to 42 Pa. C.S.A. ' 8371. The inclusion of a statutory bad-faith claim provides a basis for the plaintiff to argue for a broad scope of discovery regarding the insurer's conduct and evaluation of the claim. However, the insurer may file a motion to sever and stay the bad-faith claim and argue for a more restricted scope of discovery.
The purpose of this article is to discuss some arguments relating to whether discovery of information relating to the insurer's conduct and claim handling is relevant in a UM/UIM claim pleaded as a breach of contract action without a statutory bad-faith claim. Relevant evidence “means evidence having any tendency to make the existence of any fact that is of consequence to the determination of the action more probable or less probable than it would be without the evidence,” according to Pa.R.E. 401.
Yachts, Jets, Horses & Hooch: Specialized Commercial Leasing Models
Defining commercial real estate asset class is essentially a property explaining how it identifies — not necessarily what its original intention was or what others think it ought to be. This article discusses, from a general issue-spot and contextual analysis perspective, how lawyers ought to think about specialized leasing formats and the regulatory backdrops that may inform what the documentation needs to contain for compliance purposes.
Hyperlinked Documents: The Latest e-Discovery Challenge
As courts and discovery experts debate whether hyperlinked content should be treated the same as traditional attachments, legal practitioners are grappling with the technical and legal complexities of collecting, analyzing and reviewing these documents in real-world cases.
Identifying Your Practice's Differentiator
How to Convey Your Merits In a Way That Earns Trust, Clients and Distinctions Just as no two individuals have the exact same face, no two lawyers practice in their respective fields or serve clients in the exact same way. Think of this as a "Unique Value Proposition." Internal consideration about what you uniquely bring to your clients, colleagues, firm and industry can provide untold benefits for your law practice.
Risks and Ad Fraud Protection In Digital Advertising
The ever-evolving digital marketing landscape, coupled with the industry-wide adoption of programmatic advertising, poses a significant threat to the effectiveness and integrity of digital advertising campaigns. This article explores various risks to digital advertising from pixel stuffing and ad stacking to domain spoofing and bots. It will also explore what should be done to ensure ad fraud protection and improve effectiveness.
Turning Business Development Plans Into Reality
This article offers practical insights and best practices to navigate the path from roadmap to rainmaking, ensuring your business development efforts are not just sporadic bursts of activity, but an integrated part of your daily success.