What happens when an insured receives a judgment in excess of his/her insurance policy limits when the matter could have been resolved within the insured’s policy limits? Think of a personal injury scenario where the insured received a claim by an injured party and tenders the claim to his/her insurer. What if that matter could get resolved within policy limits but it does not and exposes the insured to a judgment in excess of the policy limits? This could be where insurance bad faith comes into play in the third-party liability insurance context based on the totality of circumstances—the insurer acted in bad faith in failing to settle this third-party claim and exposed the insured to a judgment in excess of the insured’s policy limits.
Mr. Adelstein may be contacted at dma@kirwinnorris.com