American Universal Insurance Co. v. Falzone

644 F.2d 65 (1981)

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American Universal Insurance Co. v. Falzone

United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
644 F.2d 65 (1981)

DD

Facts

A house owned by Joseph Falzone (defendant) burned down in a fire. Falzone had a fire insurance policy with American Universal Insurance Company (American) (plaintiff). American brought suit, contending that it was not liable for the property loss because the fire was caused by arson. At the trial, a state fire marshal named Ricker testified as an expert witness. Ricker stated that, in his opinion, the fire was of human origin. Ricker’s opinion was based on information that Ricker received from other fire marshals. This information indicated that the furnace or heating system was not the cause of the fire. The other fire marshals were more experienced than Ricker in inspecting furnaces and heating systems. The district-court judge admitted Ricker’s opinion under Federal Rule of Evidence 703. Subsequently, the jury ruled in favor of American. Falzone appealed.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Per curiam)

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