Amzak Capital Mgmt. v. Stewart Title
Court: U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals
Docket: 13-30675
Opinion Date: February 27, 2014
Judge: Jones
Areas of Law: Banking, Bankruptcy, Insurance Law,
Real Estate & Property Law
Amzak appealed the district court's summary judgment
on its loan loss claims against its title insurance policy provider and related
entities. The court concluded that Amzak failed to show that it suffered actual
loss because of a failure of title and STL could not be held responsible for
any harm suffered by Amzak. The court formalized the holding in First State
Bank v. American Title and likewise rejected the guarantee rationale of
Citicorp Savings of Illinois v. Stewart Title Guaranty Co., and agreed with the
district court's rejection of Amzak's argument that STL breached the title
policy at the time of the loan because its mortgage was voidable at that time.
The court also disposed of Amzak's negligence claim where STL's delay in making
a complete filing of Amzak's mortgage was not a legal cause of Amzak's loss.
Accordingly, the court affirmed the judgment of the district court.
http://j.st/ZZJA
Crain v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co.
Court: U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals
Docket: 13-1903
Opinion Date: March 6, 2014
Judge: Riley
Areas of Law: Insurance Law
Plaintiff filed suit against State Farm in Missouri
state court, seeking to recover underinsured motorist (UIM) benefits under
plaintiff's policy with State Farm (the Pontiac policy). State Farm removed to
district court based on diversity of citizenship and then the district court
granted summary judgment in favor of State Farm. The court affirmed the
district court's conclusion that the State Farm policy unambiguously prohibited
stacking UIM coverage limits. Plaintiff's argument was foreclosed in Daughhetee
v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co. where the court affirmed the lower court's
determination that the language in an identical State Farm automobile policy
unambiguously precluded policy stacking of UIM coverage limits under Missouri
law.
http://j.st/ZZYT
Lester v. Allstate Prop. & Cas. Ins. Co.
Court: U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals
Docket: 13-6070
Opinion Date: February 24, 2014
Judge: Sutton
Areas of Law: Insurance Law
After a fire damaged her house, Lester filed a claim
with Allstate. The company asked Lester and her husband to answer questions
under oath. Lester responded that they would submit to examinations only if Allstate
first showed them its investigative files. Allstate refused to turn over the
files, stating that doing so “could jeopardize the integrity” of its inquiry.
Allstate eventually gave Lester 10 days to schedule an examination, warning
that, if she did not submit to an examination, it would deny the claim. Lester
never responded, but sued the company. The district court granted Allstate
summary judgment. The Sixth Circuit affirmed, noting that the insurance policy
requires Lester to “submit to examinations under oath” at Allstate’s request
and that Tennessee law permits denial of a claim when the policyholder refuses
to participate in an examination under oath. The company’s refusal to share its
investigative files before examining her is reasonable and did not breach a
duty of good faith. Tennessee presumes that failure to participate in an
examination results in prejudice to the insurer, and makes it the
policyholder’s burden to demonstrate that the company suffered no harm. Lester
never introduced any evidence to rebut the presumption.
http://j.st/ZkzJ
Univ. of Notre Dame v. Sebelius
Court: U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals
Docket: 13-3853
Opinion Date: February 21, 2014
Judge: Posner
Areas of Law: Constitutional Law, Health Law,
Insurance Law
The Affordable Care Act, 42 U.S.C. 300gg-13(a)(4),
requires health insurance providers (including third party administrators) to
cover certain preventive services without cost to the insured, including, “with
respect to women … preventive care and screenings,” including all FDA-approved
contraceptive methods, sterilization, and patient education for women with
reproductive capacity. The University of Notre Dame self‐insures employees’
medical expenses; Meritain administers the employee health plan. For students’
medical needs, Notre Dame has a contract with Aetna. Because Catholic doctrine
forbids the use of contraceptives, Notre Dame has never paid for contraceptives
for employees or permitted Aetna to insure the expense of contraceptives.
Because of those religious objections and the Religious Freedom Restoration
Act, 42 U.S.C. 2000bb‐1(a), the government created a religious exemption,
45 C.F.R. 147.130(a)(1)(iv)). New regulations enlarged the exemption, so that
Notre Dame came within its scope. To exercise its right to opt out of paying
for coverage for contraceptives, the university completed a form that alerts
insurers that Notre Dame is not going to pay, so they will have to pay. The
government will reimburse at least 110 percent of the third‐party administrator’s
costs and Aetna can expect to recoup its costs from savings on pregnancy
medical care. Several months after the regulations were promulgated, the
University unsuccessfully sought a preliminary injunction. The Seventh Circuit
affirmed, noting that the University had not indicated exactly what it wanted
enjoined at this stage. The insurance companies were not parties, and,
therefore, could not be enjoined from providing the required coverage. A
religious institution has no right to prevent other institutions from engaging
in acts that merely offend the institution and the University has complied by
completing the required form.
http://j.st/ZkLM
Employee benefit plans -- Defined contribution
401(k) Plan -- Employee Retirement Income Security Act -- Breach of fiduciary
duty -- Breach of statutory duties of prudence and loyalty -- Limitation of
actions -- Action by former employee on behalf of Plan alleging, among other
claims, that defendant-benefits committee members imprudently selected as
investment options certain of plan sponsor's proprietary mutual funds and
imprudently failed to remove those funds from the menu of investment options
despite their continuing poor performance and high management fees -- Documents
attached to defendants' motion to dismiss count asserting claims of imprudent
selection and failure-to-remove as barred by ERISA's shorter three-year
limitations period were insufficient to make requisite showing that plaintiff
had actual knowledge of breaches where there was no showing that the attached
documents had been provided to plaintiff or that plaintiff obtained knowledge
of the facts in the documents from another source -- Claim of imprudent
selection was barred by ERISA's six-year limitations period, which was
triggered by defendants' initial selection of the funds for inclusion in the
401(k) plan -- Because claims concerning committee defendants' failure to
remove certain funds were in all relevant respects identical to the allegations
concerning the selection process, complaint contained no factual allegation of
a material change in circumstances that would allow appellate court to
distinguish between the alleged imprudent acts occurring at selection from the
alleged imprudent acts occurring thereafter -- Accordingly, six-year limitations
period for failure-to-remove claims was also triggered at time funds were
initially selected as investment options
BARBARA J. FULLER, and all others similarly
situated, Plaintiff-Appellant, SELETHIA PRUITT, et al., Plaintiffs, v. SUNTRUST
BANKS, INC., THE SUNTRUST BANKS, INC. BENEFITS PLAN COMMITTEE, JORGE ARRIETA,
HAROLD BITLER, MIMI BREEDEN, et al., Defendants-Appellees, TRUSCO CAPITAL
MANAGEMENT, INC., et al., Defendants. 11th Circuit.
Guardianship -- Incapacitated person -- Attorney's
fees -- Attorney who acted as co-counsel for ward in guardianship proceeding --
Trial court abused discretion in reducing amount of attorney's fees and
charging attorney with costs on ground that attorney's services did not benefit
ward -- Actions of attorney who contacted member of initial examining committee
at ward's request to obtain a reassessment benefitted ward where reassessment
brought to court's attention problems with committee's report, resulting in
appointment of second examining committee -- Attorney's action of obtaining a
reassessment by contacting an examining committee member was not clearly
prohibited by law
In re Guardianship of Carol Padlina Rawl, an
incapacitated person. LANCE M. McKINNEY, Appellant, v. GREGORY R. RAWL, as
Guardian of the Property of Carol Padlina Rawl, an incapacitated person,
Appellee. 2nd District.
Insurance -- Attorney's fees -- Trial court properly
denied attorney's fees and costs where insurer did not wrongfully cause
insureds to resort to litigation
ANA VIVAS, et al., Appellants, vs. STATE FARM
FLORIDA INSURANCE COMPANY, Appellee. 3rd District.
Insurance -- Personal injury protection --
Exhaustion of benefits -- Where reasonableness of a medical provider's claim is
still in dispute, post-suit exhaustion of benefits extinguishes provider's
right to further payments, so long as exhaustion is prior to the establishment
of the amount to which the medical provider is entitled under PIP -- Once PIP
benefits are exhausted through payment of valid claims, insurer has no further
liability on unresolved pending claims absent bad faith in the handling of the
claim by the insurance company -- Appeals -- Certified questions from county
court -- Court discharges jurisdiction of one of the two cases before it in
which county court certified three questions, as district courts have already
ruled on one issue and have answered the question uniformly, and county court
expressly did not rule or make any judicial determination on issues raised in
the other two certified questions -- Appeal in that case transferred to circuit
court
NORTHWOODS SPORTS MEDICINE AND PHYSICAL
REHABILITATION, INC., (a/a/o SUZANNE CABRERA), and WELLNESS ASSOCIATES OF
FLORIDA, INC., (a/a/o DANIEL NORTH), Appellants, v. STATE FARM MUTUAL
AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE COMPANY and USAA CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY, Appellees.
4th District.
Torts -- Automobile accident -- Discovery -- Law
firm's financial relationship with plaintiff's treating physician -- Trial
court did not depart from essential requirements of law by ordering law firm to
provide list of payments made to plaintiff's treating physician over last 3
years
LYTAL, REITER, SMITH, IVEY & FRONRATH, L.L.P.,
Petitioner, v. JANET MALAY, as Personal Representative of the Estate of MAURICE
BAKER, Respondent. 4th District.
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