Hammer v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance

950 F. Supp. 192, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19809
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Kentucky
DecidedOctober 11, 1996
DocketCivil Action 3:96CV-198-S
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 950 F. Supp. 192 (Hammer v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hammer v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance, 950 F. Supp. 192, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19809 (W.D. Ky. 1996).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

SIMPSON, Chief Judge.

This matter is before the court on a “motion for declaratory judgment” by State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. (“State Farm”). In view of our summary disposition, we will apply the standard in Fed.R.Civ.P. 56 for summary judgment. Rachel Sue Hammer sued State Farm to collect underinsured motorist benefits under two automobile insurance contracts. State Farm argues that:' (1) Indiana law applies to this insurance dispute, (2) that the anti-stacking provision in the insurance contracts is valid, and (3) that the setoff provision in the contracts requires summary disposition in State Farm’s favor. We find that State Farm is correct on each of its three contentions as a matter of law and will dismiss the complaint with prejudice.

FACTS

On November 16, 1994, Rachel Sue Hammer was severely injured in an automobile collision with Barbara M. Simms. Simms— who was at fault — was insured by Kentucky Farm Bureau for $25,000, which was paid to Hammer. Simms was another defendant in this action, but has settled with Hammer and been dismissed. At the time of the accident, Hammer was an insurance adjuster for State Farm, and was driving a company-owned car. The company car was insured by a State Farm insurance ■ policy with underinsured motorist coverage.' State Farm 'paid Hammer the $100,000 maximum underinsured policy benefit under the company car’s policy. The present lawsuit involves Hammer’s own personal automobile insurance policies with State Farm. 1 Hammer claims benefits under these two policies’ underinsured motorist provisions.

Hammer has, at all relevant times, been a resident of Indiana; the policies were purchased in Indiana; the premiums were paid in Indiana; and her insured vehicles were garaged in Indiana. The accident, however, occurred in Kentucky and the State Farm company car driven by Hammer was registered in Kentucky.

*194 DISCUSSION

1. Choice of Law

Much of this case turns on which state’s law applies to this insurance dispute. Hammer urges that we acknowledge the Kentucky “contacts” to find that Kentucky law applies. State Farm argues that Indiana law should apply, pointing to the pervasive Indiana “contacts.”

Sitting in diversity, we are required to apply the choice of law rules of the forum state, Kentucky. Klaxon Co. v. Stentor Electric Mfg. Co., 313 U.S. 487, 61 S.Ct. 1020, 85 L.Ed. 1477 (1941). In Lewis v. American Family Ins. Group, 555 S.W.2d 579 (Ky. 1977), Indiana residents were injured in an accident in Kentucky involving uninsured motorists. Choice of law was, as here, a threshold question. The Kentucky Supreme Court adopted the method for deciding choice of law in Section 188 of the Restatement (Second) of Conflicts of Law (1971) (a “contacts” analysis). The court wrote:

Using this test, in most cases the law of the residence of the named insured will determine the scope of his automobile liability insurance policy____ Because the insurance contracts in this case were entered into in Indiana between Indiana parties and concerned automobiles which were licensed and garages in Indiana, we are of the opinion that Indiana law should govern the rights and liabilities of the parties under these contracts.

Lewis, 555 S.W.2d at 582. Thus, binding precedent from the Kentucky Supreme Court reveals that Indiana law should apply to this case. See also State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co. v. Tenn. Farmers Mut. Ins. Co., 785 S.W.2d 520, 522 (Ky.App.1990) (approving a Tennessee decision which applied Tennessee law to an automobile insurance dispute where the accident occurred in Georgia but the insurance policy was issued in Tennessee to a Tennessee resident); Owens v. DeClark, No. 94-265, 1995 WL 912492 (E.D.Ky. Dec. 7, 1995) (Memorandum Op. and Order by Coffman, J.) (case involving under-insured motorist protections of an insurance policy sold by State Farm in Indiana to Indiana residents would be decided according to Indiana law, even though accident occurred in Kentucky).

Indiana law is in accord. In State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co. v. Conway, 779 F.Supp. 963 (S.D.Ind.1991), an Indiana resident was injured in an automobile accident in Kentucky. The liability policy was issued in Indiana. In applying the “contacts” approach, the court wrote:

Indiana clearly has the most intimate contacts to the facts in this case. The insurance contracts at issue in this case were entered into in Indiana (the applications were completed in New Albany, Indiana and the premiums were paid in the State as well). The actual policies were issued in Indiana and were mailed to the defendant’s Indiana residence____ The only contact occurring out of the State of Indiana was the place of the accident____

Id. at 967.

It is clear that the Indiana “contacts” predominate in this case. Therefore, the rights and obligations of the parties must be resolved under Indiana law.

2. Stacking Policies

Stacking occurs when a policy-holder suffers a single collectible loss, but claims benefits under multiple insurance policies. In this case, Hammer argues that she should be allowed to stack her personal policies; i.e., the two policies’ $50,000 per person underinsured motorist coverage should be aggregated to a $100,000 limit.

Hammer’s two insurance policies contain an anti-stacking provision on page 15:
If There Is Other Coverage — Coverage W
******
3. If the insured sustains bodily injury while occupying a vehicle not owned by you, your spouse or any relative, and:
a. such vehicle is described on the declarations page of another policy providing under-insured motor vehicle coverage, ...
this coverage applies:
a. as excess to any underinsured motor vehicle coverage which applies to the vehicle or driver, but
*195 b. only in the- amount by which it exceeds the primary coverage.
If coverage under more than one policy applies as excess:
a. the total limit of liability shall not exceed the difference between the limit of liability of the coverage that applies as primary and the highest limit of liability of any one of the coverages that apply as excess; :..

(emphasis added).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
950 F. Supp. 192, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19809, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hammer-v-state-farm-mutual-automobile-insurance-kywd-1996.