Klinger v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co.
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
115 F.3d 230 (1997)
- Written by Rich Walter, JD
Facts
After being seriously injured in an automobile accident, Mark Klinger (plaintiff) tendered an underinsured-motorist claim to his insurer, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm) (defendant). State Farm forced Klinger to arbitrate the claim. The arbitration proceedings dragged on, thanks in large part to the negligence of State Farm’s lawyer. State Farm was aware of its lawyer’s lax conduct, had all the information it needed to process Klinger’s claim, and knew that Klinger was entitled to collect under his policy. Nevertheless, State Farm offered nothing to Klinger and even sought to delay the arbitration hearing. When the hearing finally took place, two years after the accident, the arbitrators awarded Klinger full recovery on his claim. Klinger sued State Farm under Pennsylvania’s insurance bad-faith statute. The federal-court jury that heard the diversity case awarded punitive damages to Klinger. State Farm appealed to the Third Circuit.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Nygaard, J.)
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