Child a Ex Rel. Gaither v. Allstate Insurance

323 F. App'x 635
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
DecidedApril 10, 2009
Docket08-6125
StatusUnpublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 323 F. App'x 635 (Child a Ex Rel. Gaither v. Allstate Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Child a Ex Rel. Gaither v. Allstate Insurance, 323 F. App'x 635 (10th Cir. 2009).

Opinion

ORDER AND JUDGMENT *

PAUL KELLY, JR., Circuit Judge.

Plaintiffs-Appellants Jonathan and Nicole Gaither, and their two minor children, appeal from the district court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of Defendant-Appellee Allstate Insurance Company (“Allstate”). The Gaithers brought claims against Allstate based upon breach of contract for uninsured motorist coverage and bad faith breach of insurance contract, and the case was removed to federal court. We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291, and we affirm.

Background

Plaintiffs-Appellants Jonathan and Nicole Gaither, their two minor children, Child A and Child B, and an additional child stopped at a 7-Eleven store in Moore, Oklahoma, to buy drinks prior to the children’s softball game. Aplt.App. 375. While Mr. Gaither and two of the children entered the store, Mrs. Gaither and her son, Child B, remained in the car. Aplt.App. 375. While in the car, Mrs. Gaither observed an altercation in the store between two police officers and Mr. Roger Ramirez. ApltApp. 375-76. Noting that a family was about to enter the store, Mrs. Gaither exited her vehicle to warn the family not to enter. ApltApp. 375-76. While Mrs. Gaither was still outside her vehicle, Mr. Ramirez ran out of the store and grabbed Mrs. Gaither, forcing her into a headlock and putting a gun to her head. Aplt.App. 376-77. Mr. Ramirez demanded that Mrs. Gaither take him to the other side of the family’s car, and he took the car keys out of Mrs. Gaither’s hand. Aplt.App. 376-77. Still holding a gun to Mrs. Gaither’s head, Mr. Ramirez was unable to unlock the car door and demanded that Mrs. Gaither unlock the vehicle. During this time, Child B was in the back seat of the car in a car seat. Aplt.App. 377. According to Mrs. Gaither, upon her opening the car door, Mr. Ramirez “jumped in the car” and onto her son and attempted to pull Mrs. Gaither into the vehicle. Aplt.App. 377. After a struggle, Mrs. Gaither was able to free her son from the car, and he ran away from the scene. Aplt.App. 377. Mr. Ramirez then pointed the gun directly at Mrs. Gaither and threatened that he would kill her. ApltApp. 377-78. After loosening his grip on Mrs. Gaither, she too was able *637 to free herself and run away. Aplt-App. 378. Mr. Ramirez then entered the car from the passenger door, crossed over into the driver’s seat, and started the vehicle. ApltApp. 378, 381. He then drove away and eventually crashed. ApltApp. 378.

At the time of the incident, the Gaithers were insured by Allstate under an Auto Insurance Policy. ApltApp. 70-89. The Gaithers filed a claim with Allstate under their policy’s Medical Payments Coverage, Collision Coverage, and Uninsured Motorist (“UM”) Coverage. They claimed compensation for property damage to the vehicle, physical injuries suffered by Mrs. Gaither and Child B resulting from the confrontation with Mr. Ramirez, and emotional distress of all family members. Allstate paid for the property damage under the Collision Coverage provision. Aplt. App. 68. As alleged by Allstate, Allstate also paid medical bills totaling $15,049.80, which were submitted by the Gaithers under the Medical Payments coverage of the policy. ApltApp. 35-36, 101-11, 112-24. Allstate did not pay out any claims under the UM provision of the policy, a decision that was partially based on legal advice obtained by Allstate regarding UM coverage under Oklahoma law. ApltApp. 125-29. Allstate sent the Gaithers a letter denying UM coverage on February 6, 2006.ApltApp. 128.

The Gaithers initially fried suit against Allstate in Cleveland • County, Oklahoma, on June 20, 2006. ApltApp. 52-54. Specifically, the Gaithers claimed that Allstate breached its insurance contract relating to Medical Payment coverage and UM coverage, and they also asserted a claim of bad faith. ApltApp. 52-54. On May 21, 2007, Allstate filed a motion for partial summary judgment, arguing that UM coverage did not apply as a matter of Oklahoma law. ApltApp. 130-40. While that motion was pending, the Gaithers filed a motion to voluntarily dismiss the action without prejudice. ApltApp. 141. On November 28, 2007, under the guidance of new counsel, the Gaithers filed a second suit against Allstate in Cleveland County, asserting the same claims from the prior suit. Aplt. App. 12-14. Allstate properly removed the action to federal court on February 8, 2008, ApltApp. 9-11, and on April 3, 2008, Allstate filed substantially the same motion for summary judgment as it had in the prior action, Aplt.App. 24-51.

In response, the Gaithers filed a motion for extension of time to respond to the motion for summary judgment, seeking a 60-day extension for the purpose of conducting discovery. ApltApp. 142-46. On April 24, 2008, the district court denied the request for a sixty day discovery extension, but granted a twenty day extension for the Gaithers to file a response to the summary judgment motion. ApltApp. 253-54. The next day, the Gaithers filed a motion to amend, seeking leave to add Mr. Ramirez as a defendant. ApltApp. 255-64. On May 6, 2008, the district court denied the motion, concluding that Plaintiffs were dilatory in seeking joinder. ApltApp. 312-15. After the Gaithers filed a response to Allstate’s motion for summary judgment, the district court granted summary judgment in favor of Allstate. Gaither v. Allstate Ins. Co., No. CIV-08-145-R, 2008 WL 2116935, at *2-3 (W.D.Okla. May 19, 2008). First, the district court concluded that the injuries suffered by the Gaithers regarding the incident with Mr. Ramirez did not “arise out of the ... use of an uninsured auto,” thus falling outside the scope of UM coverage. Id. at *2. The court further granted summary judgment in favor of Allstate on the Gaithers’ bad faith claim. Id. at *3. The court then concluded that Plaintiffs failed to raise any genuine issue of material fact relating to the Medical Payments coverage. Although the Gaithers had submitted *638 bills that allegedly remained unpaid, the court found that they failed to demonstrate how the bills related to treatment regarding the injuries incurred on September 18, 2005. Id. at *2. The Gaithers subsequently appealed the denial of their motions to amend and for an extension of time, and the district court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of Allstate. Aplt. App. 468-72. 1

Discussion

The Gaithers raise four issues on appeal. First, they argue that the district court abused its discretion in denying their motion to amend seeking leave to add Mr. Ramirez as a defendant. Second, they argue that they are entitled to UM coverage and that the district court improperly granted summary judgment in favor of Allstate regarding the denial of UM coverage for their injuries. Third, they argue that the district court improperly denied the motion for an extension of time for the purpose of conducting discovery. Fourth, the Gaithers contend that the district court improperly granted summary judgment on their bad faith claim. For the reasons set forth below, we affirm the district court on all issues.

A. The Denial of Plaintiffs’ Motion to Amend

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323 F. App'x 635, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/child-a-ex-rel-gaither-v-allstate-insurance-ca10-2009.