Quimbee logo
DMCA.com Protection Status
From our private database of 15,700+ case briefs...

Heacker v. Safeco Insurance Company of America

United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
676 F.3d 724 (2012)

Facts

From 2005 until about 2010, Jessica Wright (defendant) hacked into Lewis Heacker’s (plaintiff) voicemails and Facebook account, and she made anonymous phone calls to defame Heacker. As a result of Wright’s actions, Heacker suffered from physical ailments, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and alcoholism. Wright had a homeowner’s policy that covered bodily injury and an umbrella policy that covered personal injury. Heacker sued Wright, and he claimed the Wright’s homeowner’s policy should cover the mental illnesses and alcoholism that Wright’s actions had caused him. The homeowner’s policy defined bodily injury as including bodily harm, sickness, and disease. The umbrella policy covered personal injury arising from defamation or privacy violations, but it excluded coverage for mental abuse. The district court determined that the homeowner’s policy did not cover Heacker’s PTSD and alcoholism, because the insurance contract specified that only bodily injuries were covered. Because Heacker’s injuries were physical manifestations of emotional injury and were not caused by bodily injury, they were excluded from coverage under the homeowner’s policy. Similarly the umbrella policy excluded coverage for Heacker’s injuries, because his injuries were caused by mental abuse.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Benton, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 97,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools—such as Yale, Vanderbilt, Berkeley, and the University of Illinois—even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students. Read our student testimonials.

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students. Read more about Quimbee.

Here's why 333,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 15,700 briefs, keyed to 213 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Here's why 333,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners not other law students.
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet.
  • 15,700 briefs - keyed to 213 casebooks.
  • Uniform format for every case brief.
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language.
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions.
  • Top-notch customer support.