Ramos v. Northwestern Mutual Insurance Co.
Florida Supreme Court
336 So. 2d 71 (1976)
- Written by Rich Walter, JD
Facts
Mercedes Ramos (plaintiff) sued Lawrence Williams and Williams’s insurer, Northwestern Mutual Insurance Company (Northwestern) (defendants), for injuries she sustained in a car accident caused by Williams’s negligence. Williams never reported the accident to Northwestern and resisted Northwestern’s good-faith efforts to secure his cooperation in defending against Ramos’s claim. The trial court granted Northwestern’s motion to be relieved of liability on the grounds that Williams’s noncooperation materially and substantially prejudiced Northwestern’s defense. Ramos appealed. An intermediate appellate court affirmed the trial court’s judgment, finding it to be solidly grounded in Florida precedent. However, the intermediate court noted Ramos’s argument that this precedent should be overturned in light of Florida’s recent adoption of financial-responsibility and no-fault automobile-insurance laws. The Florida Supreme Court granted certiorari to consider this public-policy aspect of Ramos’s appeal.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Roberts, J.)
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