Study Aids
Case Briefs Overview
Casebooks
Case Briefs
S

Southern Pioneer Life Insurance Co. v. Thomas

385 S.W.3d 770, 2011 Ark. 490 (2011)

From our private database of 46,400+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Southern Pioneer Life Insurance Co. v. Thomas

Arkansas Supreme Court
385 S.W.3d 770, 2011 Ark. 490 (2011)

EP

Facts

Danny and Irma Thomas (plaintiffs) purchased a vehicle, financed through Chrysler Financial, by completing a credit application (application) and retail installment contract (RIC) that included an arbitration provision. The RIC included an option to purchase life insurance from Southern Pioneer Life Insurance Company (Southern Pioneer) (defendant). The Thomases financed the insurance premium over the life of their vehicle loan, which they paid off five years before the loan’s maturity date. The Thomases initiated a class-action lawsuit for reimbursement of the portion of the premium charged between the payoff date and expiration of the insurance policy on the date of maturity. Southern Pioneer moved to compel arbitration, asserting that the dispute involved breach of the RIC that contained the arbitration provision. The Thomases argued that the dispute arose out of an insurance contract governed by Arkansas Code § 16-108-201(b) and the McCarran-Ferguson Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1011 et. seq., which prohibited arbitration of insurance claims. Southern Pioneer’s motion was denied. The court found that the Arkansas Code applied to preclude arbitration. Southern Pioneer appealed.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Baker, J.)

Concurrence (Henry, 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 830,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

    Unlock this case briefRead 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.

    Learn about our approachRead more about Quimbee

Here's why 830,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,400 briefs, keyed to 994 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.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 830,000 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
  • 46,400 briefs - keyed to 994 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

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership

Casebooks

Alternative Dispute Resolution

Key Terms