Government Employees Insurance v. Silber

178 Misc. 2d 451
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 6, 1998
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 178 Misc. 2d 451 (Government Employees Insurance v. Silber) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Government Employees Insurance v. Silber, 178 Misc. 2d 451 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1998).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

John S. Lockman, J.

In this consolidated proceeding pursuant to CPLR article 75 to stay arbitration of an uninsured motorist claim, the court is called upon to interpret a provision of Rule 35-D of the Regula[452]*452tions of the Department of Insurance (11 NYCRR 60-2.0 et seq.).

In this proceeding petitioner seeks to stay two uninsured motorist arbitrations on the ground that a vehicle owned by Global Ambulette, Inc. (Global Ambulette), which was involved in the accident on May 27, 1996, is not “uninsured” within the meaning of Insurance Law § 3420 (f) (1) or Regulation 35-D. Global Ambulette was insured by New York Merchant Bakers Insurance Company from February 28, 1996 through February 27, 1998, and thus the accident occurred during the period of coverage. Ordinarily, a finding of insurance coverage would dispose of an article 75 proceeding and a permanent stay of arbitration would issue. Here, however, New York Merchant Bakers Insurance Company (hereafter Merchant Bakers) became insolvent subsequent to the accident date and is presently in a state of insolvency.

The question to be decided here is whether the subsequent insolvency renders the alleged offending vehicle “uninsured” for purposes of arbitration under the Silber respondents’ policy of insurance, where, as here, the Silbers have an available remedy through the Public Motor Vehicle Liability Security Fund. It is the duty of the Security Fund to satisfy allowed claims of injured parties remaining unpaid by reason of Merchant Bakers’ insolvency, as Merchant Bakers was a domestic insurer required to contribute to the Fund pursuant to Insurance Law § 7604 (b) (2).

Reference to the regulations of the Insurance Department, to the Insurance Law, and to case law interpreting both is necessary to resolve the dispute. Regulation 35-D (11 NYCRR 60-2.0 et seq.) requires an uninsured motorist endorsement in every policy issued in this State, and defines the term “uninsured motor vehicle” in relevant part as follows:

“(c) Uninsured Motor Vehicle. The term ‘uninsured motor vehicle’ means a motor vehicle that, through its ownership, maintenance or use, results in bodily injury to an insured, and for which * * *

“(3) there is a bodily injury liability insurance coverage or bond applicable to such motor vehicle at the time of the accident, but * * *

“(in) the insurer * * * is or becomes insolvent.” (11 NYCRR 60-2.3.)

Were the language of the endorsement controlling on its face there would be nothing here to decide. However, the term “un[453]*453insured motor vehicle” is a term of art, and its meaning must be understood by reference not only to the regulations, but also to the statutes upon which they are based and any judicial interpretation of those statutes (Morris v Progressive Cas. Ins. Co., 662 F Supp 1489, 1493 [SD NY]).

Insurance Law § 3420 (f) (1) provides that every policy insuring against loss arising out of a motor vehicle accident must contain a provision “whereby the insurer agrees [to] pay to the insured” limited damages on account of injury or death caused by an owner or an operator of “an uninsured motor vehicle, unidentified motor vehicle which leaves the scene of an accident, a motor vehicle registered in this state as to which at the time of the accident there was not in effect a policy of liability insurance, a stolen vehicle, a motor vehicle operated without permission of the owner, an insured motor vehicle where the insurer disclaims liability or denies coverage or an unregistered vehicle”. The statute, unlike the regulation, contains no reference to insolvent insurers. Nevertheless, through judicial interpretation, insolvency of an insurer is an additional statutory ground which renders a vehicle uninsured under certain circumstances.

In State-Wide Ins. Co. v Curry (43 NY2d 298, 301) the Court of Appeals decided the question of whether a person involved in an automobile accident is an “uninsured motorist” within the meaning of subdivision (2-a) of section 167 of the Insurance Law (now § 3420 [1] [f]) “where the person is insured by a domestic insurer which becomes insolvent subsequent to the accident”. The Court rejected the argument that the two remedies, a Security Fund claim against an insolvent insurer and an uninsured motorist claim, "were alternative remedies and that a claimant could elect between them. The Court found the purpose of the uninsured motorist claim provided by subdivision (2-a) of Insurance Law § 167 “is to protect persons who are injured by financially irresponsible motorists by making available a $10,000 fund to which an injured person may look for compensation for his injuries” and that the statutory scheme “presupposes that no other liability coverage exists to compensate innocent victims of motor vehicle accidents” (State-Wide Ins. Co. v Curry, supra, at 302). The Court answered the insurance coverage question in the negative because when a domestic insurer becomes insolvent, an injured person may look to the Security Fund for compensation, and would have no need of the protection afforded by subdivision (2-a) of Insurance Law § 167. The Court found that an offending vehicle [454]*454subject to coverage by the Security Fund could not be classified as either an “uninsured motor vehicle” or an insured vehicle “where the insurer disclaims liability or denies coverage”, the only two categories available under subdivision (2-a) of section 167 (State-Wide Ins. Co. v Curry, supra, at 303).

In contrast is the law with regard to a nondomestic insurer which would not contribute to nor be covered by the Security Fund, and which the Court in Curry (supra) distinguished. In such cases the accident would give rise to an uninsured motorist claim, as the claimants could not seek compensation from the Fund (State-Wide Ins. Co. v Curry, 43 NY2d 298, 304, supra; Matter of Taub [MVAIC], 31 AD2d 378; Matter of Travis [General Acc. Group], 31 AD2d 20).

Thus insolvency is not the sole determinative factor in resolving the question of whether uninsured motorist coverage is available. If coverage under the Security Fund is available, there is no uninsured motorist coverage under the injured parties’ insurance policy. If coverage is not provided by the Security Fund, there is such uninsured motorist coverage. The statutory construction permitting resort to uninsured motorist coverage only if it is the exclusive remedy available predated enactment of Regulation 35-D, which does not distinguish between insolvent insurers which are covered by the Security Fund and those which are not. The language can be read to include all insolvent insurers, thus allowing a claimant to choose his remedy and proceed against the Fund or proceed against his own carrier.

Respondents urge this interpretation and aver that the regulation applies to all insurer insolvencies and permits arbitration of their uninsured motorist claim to proceed. Respondents argue that in enacting Regulation 35-D the Superintendent of Insurance must be deemed to have been aware of the case law prior to enactment, particularly as the Superintendent participated in Curry (supra) as amicus curiae. The court agrees that the Superintendent was aware of prior case law, but reaches a different conclusion from that fact.

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Bluebook (online)
178 Misc. 2d 451, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/government-employees-insurance-v-silber-nysupct-1998.