Lytle v. Allstate Insurance Co.

1 Pa. D. & C.4th 504, 1988 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 87
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Erie County
DecidedNovember 29, 1988
Docketno. 3013-A-1988
StatusPublished

This text of 1 Pa. D. & C.4th 504 (Lytle v. Allstate Insurance Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Erie County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lytle v. Allstate Insurance Co., 1 Pa. D. & C.4th 504, 1988 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 87 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1988).

Opinion

LEVIN, J.,

This matter is before the court on a petition to compel arbitration filed by plaintiff along with the objections thereto.

Although there might have been some question whether this court should hear and make a determination on the principal issue of the instant matter as opposed to letting the arbitrator make such determination, this question was resolved when all parties agreed by written stipulation that the court could originally determine the subject legal issue. Since the arbitration clause in question is contractual in nature, there is no question the parties had the right to modify and limit the power of the [505]*505arbitrator. Also, a determination of Allstate’s rights on this issue consequently affects the rights of the remaining parties to this lawsuit, namely Nationwide Mutual Fire Insurance Company and Travelers Indemnity.

The facts of the case are as follow. On July 13, 1985, Jane E. Lytle, petitioner’s decedent, was fatally injured in a one-vehicle accident. At the time of the accident, decedent was a passenger in a van owned and operated by Michael J. Holjencin. Apparently Ava DeLong was seated on Holjencin’s lap and partially operated the car at the time of the accident.

The following insurance policies were in effect at the time of the accident:

(1) Michael J. Holjencin was covered by an Allstate Insurance Company policy providing liability and underinsured motorist coverage of $100,000.

(2) Ava DeLong was covered by Nationwide Mutual Fire Insurance Company with Lability limits of $50,000 and underinsured motorist coverage of $25,000.

(3) Jane Lytle was covered by a policy with Travelers Indemnity Company, providing $100,000 in underinsured motorist coverage.

The insurance carriers for Michael Holjencin and Ava DeLong paid the full amount of liability coverage to Lytle’s estate. However, plaintiff reserved its right to pursue the various insurance companies under the underinsured motorist coverage. Petitioner’s decedent has filed a petition to compel arbitration against respondent Allstate Insurance Company seeking to recover underinsured motorist benefits arising out of the accident. The respondent Allstate now asks to be stricken as a party in the arbitration process.

[506]*506The legal issue before the court is whether a passenger who is killed in a one-vehicle accident may recover both liability and underinsured motorist benefits from the same carrier finder the same policy where the language of the instant policy does not expressly prohibit such recovery.

The law based on these specific facts has not been decided by an appellate court in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. One case in which the Pennsylvania Superior Court discussed a similar matter was Wolgemuth v. Harleysville Mutual Insurance Co., 370 Pa. Super 51, 535 A.2d 1145 (1988). However, the factual situation in Wolge-muth, supra, was different from the present case because of the express contract language in the policy involved in Wolgemuth, supra. Wolgemuth defined “underinsured vehicle” in relevant language as follows:

“We will pay damages which a covered person is legally entitled to recover from the owner or operator of an uninsured motor vehicle or underinsured motor vehicle because of bodily injury:
“(1) Sustained by a covered person; and
“(2) Caused by an accident.
“Covered person as used in this endorsement means:
“(1) You and any family member.
“(2) Any other person occupying your covered auto. ' •
“(3) Any person for damages that person is entitled to recover because of bodily injury to which this coverage applies sustained by a person described in (1) or (2) above.
“Underinsured motor vehicle means a land motor vehicle or frailer of any type to which a bodily injury liability bond or policy applies at the time of the [507]*507accident but its limit for bodily injury liability is not enough to pay the full amount the covered person is legally entitled to recover as damages.
“In addition, neither ‘uninsured motor vehicle’ nor ‘underinsured motor vehicle’ includes any vehicle or equipment:
“(1) Owned by or furnished or available for the regular use of you or any family member.” Wolge-muth, supra.

The policy of insurance at bar issued by Allstate contains no such express exclusion with respect to the definition of “underinsured motor vehicle.” The Allstate policy contains the following language:

“We will pay damages for bodily injury, sickness, disease or death which a person insured is legally entitled to recover from the owner or operator of an uninsured or underinsured auto. Injury must be caused by accident and arise out of the ownership, maintenance or use of an uninsured or underin-sured auto.

“Persons insured —
“(1) You and any relative who resides in your household.
“(2) Any person while occupying your insured auto, and ,.
“(3) any other person who is legally entitled to recover because of bodily injury to you, a relative who resides in your household, or an occupant of your insured auto.
“An underinsured auto is:
“A motor vehicle which has bodily injury liability protection in effect at the time of the accident, but its limit for bodily injury liability is less than the [508]*508damages the person insured is legally entitled to recover.
“An underinsured auto is not:
“An uninsured auto.” Allstate Uninsured Motorists Insurance Coverage SS Part II, Pa. Amendatory Endorsement.

Inasmuch as there is no controlling appellate court decision, in writing this opinion the court will be traveling on a newly opened highway not previously traversed by the public. The court in Wolge-muth, supra, recognized this when they stated they were not making or following any ruling outside the facts before them.

“We are not here asked to determine, and express no opinion upon, whether an insured, as that term is defined by the Motor Vehicle Financial Responsibility Law, could, under certain circumstances, recover under both the liability and underinsured motorist provisions of a single policy.” Wolgemuth, supra.

Thus, the court is left with a case of first impression.1 In such a case, the court, however, is not without benefit of any aids to be of assistance to it in making it ruling. In cases such as this the court will look to many items including but not limited to statutory construction and the legislative history of the subject act. As stated in Wolgemuth, supra:

“Section 1921 of the Statutory Construction Act also requires that we consider the ‘consequences of a particular interpretation.’ 1 Pa.C.S. § 1921(c)(6).

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Related

Wolgemuth v. Harleysville Mutual Insurance
535 A.2d 1145 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1988)

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Bluebook (online)
1 Pa. D. & C.4th 504, 1988 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 87, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lytle-v-allstate-insurance-co-pactcomplerie-1988.