Plesz v. Plesz

732 N.E.2d 1071, 106 Ohio Misc. 2d 1, 2000 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 16
CourtMedina County Court of Common Pleas
DecidedApril 6, 2000
DocketNos. 98 CIV 917 and 98 CIV 918
StatusPublished

This text of 732 N.E.2d 1071 (Plesz v. Plesz) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Medina County Court of Common Pleas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Plesz v. Plesz, 732 N.E.2d 1071, 106 Ohio Misc. 2d 1, 2000 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 16 (Ohio Super. Ct. 2000).

Opinion

James L. KimbleR, Judge.

This case is a consolidated case involving claims by Everett and Tamara Plesz for the death of Darlene Plesz. Tamara Plesz is seeking compensation for Darlene’s death under the uninsured/underinsured provisions of her auto policy issued by State Farm Mutual Insurance Company. Everett is seeking compensation for Darlene’s death under his UIM coverage in excess of the $100,000 he has been offered. Both plaintiffs also seek a declaration that certain provisions of the Ohio Revised Code are unconstitutional, although the Ohio Attorney General was not made a party. The parties have entered into certain factual stipulations. This matter is now before the court for adjudication as to the issues on which the parties are seeking a declaratory judgment.

STATEMENT OF THE FACTS

On September 19, 1995, a car negligently driven by Darlene Plesz’s daughter, Jill, struck Darlene Plesz, wife of Everett and mother of Tamara and Jill. A person who is not a member of the Plesz family owned the car. The car was uninsured. Darlene lived for a week after being struck. During that time her hospital expenses were over $33,000.

[4]*4At the time of the accident, both Everett and Tamara were insured by a policy issued by State Farm Mutual Insurance Company. Everett’s policy was issued in 1981 and Tamara’s policy was issued in 1993. At the time of the accident, Tamara’s policy was less than two years old.

Everett’s policy and Tamara’s policy each contained $100,000/300,000 for uninsured/underinsured coverage. The $100,000 was for each person, and the $300,000 was for each accident. Prior to Darlene’s death, State Farm claims it sent an amendment to each policy called “Endorsement 6090MM.”

Endorsement 6090MM, which both Everett and Tamara do not remember receiving, limits the coverage of all bodily injuries to a single person under the UIM coverage to $100,000. The endorsement was supposedly effective for each policy in November 1994, at the time of a six-month renewal.

The endorsement was made after Senate Bill 20 was enacted. Senate Bill 20, which is now contained in R.C. 3937.18(H), allows an insurance company to limit all claims for bodily injury to any one person, “including death,” to the same amount of coverage that is available for injuries sustained by one person. In this case, State Farm claims that this means that Everett can receive only $100,000 under his policy for Darlene’s death.

Tamara’s policy contained a provision that restricts coverage for UIM claims to injuries to persons who are the insured or members of the insured’s household. State Farm claims that this restriction denies coverage to Tamara under her UIM coverage for her mother’s death, since they were not members of the same household.

The parties also disagree about the medical pay provisions of the two policies. Tamara claims that she can recover medical payments under her policy for her mother’s treatment. State Farm denies this claim. State Farm paid $10,000 under Everett’s policy for Darlene’s medical bills.

State Farm paid $100,000 under Everett’s UIM coverage in settlement of Darlene’s survival action. It denied coverage under Tamara’s UIM coverage and denied additional benefits under Everett’s.

ISSUES PRESENTED

1. Was Jill an insured under Everett’s liability policy when she struck her mother?

2. Can Tamara recover under her UIM coverage for her mother’s death?

3. Can Everett recover more than $100,000 under his UIM coverage for Darlene’s death?

[5]*54. Can both Everett and Tamara recover under their own UIM provisions for Darlene’s death?

5. Is State Farm liable for more than $10,000 in medical payments under both Tamara’s and Everett’s policies?

6. Is R.C. 3937.18 unconstitutional?

DISCUSSION

ISSUE NO. 1: THE COURT FINDS THAT JILL WAS NOT AN INSURED UNDER HER FATHER’S INSURANCE POLICY WHEN SHE STRUCK HER MOTHER

At the time she struck her mother, Jill was a minor living with her parents. She was a member of Everett’s household. She was also his daughter.

The policy specifically exempts liability coverage for bodily injury to an insured or any member of an insured’s family residing in the insured’s household caused by an insured or a member of the insured’s household.

Under Everett’s policy, both Everett and Darlene were insureds under Everett’s policy. Everett was an insured because he is named as such in the policy and Darlene was an insured because she was his spouse. Jill was also an insured because she was a member of Everett’s family living in his household.

An insurance company may not draft a policy so as to exclude a household member from being an uninsured/underinsured motorist. State Farm Auto. Ins. Co. v. Alexander (1992), 62 Ohio St.3d 397, 583 N.E.2d 309. Such an exclusion violates the public policy articulated in R.C. 3937.18.

The same logic does not apply to the present exclusion. The court is not aware of any statute that requires coverage under the liability provision of an insurance policy to members of an insured’s household. In fact if a member of an insured’s household causes injury to an insured or another household member by means of an automobile accident, the injured insured may proceed under the UIM part of the insured’s automobile policy. State Farm Auto. Ins. Co. v. Alexander, supra.

The court finds that the provision in the policy excluding liability coverage to Jill under Everett’s policy is enforceable and valid. Jill has no liability coverage under Everett’s policy for the accident involving her mother and, therefore, was an uninsured motorist when she struck her mother.

[6]*6ISSUE NO. 2. THE COURT FINDS THAT TAMARA MAY RECOVER UNDER HER UIM COVERAGE FOR HER MOTHER’S DEATH.

State Farm relies on R.C. 3937.18(A)(1) to deny coverage under Tamara’s UIM provision. R.C. 3937.18(A)(1) was enacted in response to Sexton v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co. (1982), 69 Ohio St.2d 431, 23 O.O.3d 385, 433 N.E.2d 555. The Sexton decision allowed a policyholder to recover for his daughter’s ■ death under his UIM coverage even though he was not injured in the accident that killed her.

The Ohio Supreme Court’s reasoning in Sexton was that policy language limiting recovery under UIM provisions to those situations where the insured suffered bodily injury was contravening the public policy behind R.C. 3937.18. It was contravening the public policy by restricting UIM coverage in wrongful death cases. If recovery in wrongful death cases was restricted, then the public policy of allowing a policyholder to recover under UIM to the same extent such policyholder would recover from an insured tortfeasor was frustrated.

The General Assembly amended R.C. 3937.18(A)(1) by adding the following language: “for the protection of persons who are legally entitled to recover damages from owners or operators of uninsured motor vehicles because of bodily injury, sickness, or disease, including death, suffered by any person insured under the policy.” 145 Ohio Laws, Part I, 204, 210.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
732 N.E.2d 1071, 106 Ohio Misc. 2d 1, 2000 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 16, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/plesz-v-plesz-ohctcomplmedina-2000.