Federal Court Grants Summary Judgment for Auto Insurance Company in Bad Faith Case

On March 24, 2009, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania granted summary judgment to our client in a bad faith claim. The client, a major auto insurance company and the defendant in the case, was able to avoid a lengthy trial as a result of this favorable decision. Summary judgment is not typical for bad faith claims.

The decision noted, among other things, the claimant's failure to participate in an investigation related to the claim, thus providing reasonable justification for the insurance company to delay paying the claim. Contributing to the reasonableness of the delay was the fact that the claimant did not produce medical records to justify the claims of loss of income and personal injury.

The lead attorney on the case was Platte Moring, managing partner of the Firm's Allentown office.