Richmond v. Prudential Property & Casualty Insurance

856 A.2d 1260, 2004 Pa. Super. 328, 2004 Pa. Super. LEXIS 2780
CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedAugust 24, 2004
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 856 A.2d 1260 (Richmond v. Prudential Property & Casualty Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Richmond v. Prudential Property & Casualty Insurance, 856 A.2d 1260, 2004 Pa. Super. 328, 2004 Pa. Super. LEXIS 2780 (Pa. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinions

OPINION BY

FORD ELLIOTT, J.:

¶ 1 This case is before us on remand from our supreme court. On December 27, 2001, a three-judge panel of this court, with one judge dissenting, filed an opinion reversing an order of the Court of Common Pleas of Lehigh County.1 The Common Pleas Court order affirmed a 2-1 decision by a board of arbitrators finding in favor of Prudential Property and Casualty Insurance Company (“insurer”). This court reversed, finding that certain policy provisions in insurer’s car insurance policy violated the public policy of this Commonwealth, and also finding some of the policy’s provisions ambiguous. Richmond v. Prudential Property & Cas. Ins. Co., 789 A.2d 271, 274 (Pa.Super.2001), appeal granted, 571 Pa. 708, 812 A.2d 1280 (2002).

¶ 2 On December 31, 2002, our supreme court decided Prudential Property & Cas. Ins. Co. v. Colbert, 572 Pa. 82, 813 A.2d 747 (2002), a case requiring the court to determine the validity of one of the same policy provisions at issue in Richmond.2 The Colbert court found that the provision in the Prudential policy defining “Who Is Insured” “impermissibly narrows and conflicts with the plain language of the MVFRL.”3 Id. at 89, 813 A.2d at 751. On April 25, 2003, our supreme court remanded Richmond to this court for reconsideration in view of its decision in Colbert, supra. Richmond v. Prudential Property & Cas. Ins. Co., 573 Pa. 140, 821 A.2d 1246 (2003). Insurer then filed an unopposed application requesting that the supreme court clarify its order by vacating the opinion and order the three-judge panel entered in Richmond; however, the supreme court denied the application by order entered June 12, 2003.

¶ 3 Next, insurer filed an application for determination by the court en banc, claim[1263]*1263ing the case raised issues regarding the propriety of both Richmond, supra; and Prudential Property & Cas. Ins. Co. v. Ziatyk, 793 A.2d 965 (Pa.Super.2002) (finding that provisions in Prudential’s policy, which allowed Prudential to deny UIM benefits to a passenger in a rental truck with a load capacity in excess of one ton, directly conflicted with § 1731(c) of the MVFRL, discussed more fully infra), appeal denied, 570 Pa. 699, 809 A.2d 905 (2002), and appeal denied, 572 Pa. 708, 813 A.2d 843 (2002). (Insurer’s application for determination by the court en banc, 8/6/03 at 1.) This court granted insurer’s application for en banc review.

¶4 The facts of this case are not in dispute. On April 23, 1995, claimant suffered injuries while riding as a passenger on a motorcycle operated by a third party, the tortfeasor. Claimant recovered the available policy limits under the tortfea-sor’s liability insurance policy; however, this recovery did not fully compensate claimant for her injuries. Claimant, who did not own a motor vehicle and who was residing with her father (“father”) at the time of the accident, therefore made a claim for underinsured motorist coverage under the Prudential policy father purchased to cover his automobiles. Insurer ostensibly denied coverage because claimant was occupying a motorcycle, not a car, when she was injured.

¶ 5 The parties submitted their dispute to arbitration pursuant to the terms of the policy governing disputes regarding UIM coverage. (Id. at 9.) In a two-to-one decision, the panel of arbitrators found in favor of insurer. (Petition to Vacate Arbitration Award, 3/31/99 at Exhibit B, R. at 1.) The majority found the contract provisions clear and unambiguous. (Id. at 1.) Additionally, the arbitration majority found permissible the limitation or exclusion of certain UM/UIM coverage based upon appellate court cases interpreting other contract exclusions so long as the exclusions were clear and unambiguous, had been approved by the Insurance Commissioner, and did not violate public policy. (Id. (citations omitted).)

¶6 The dissenting arbitrator, in contrast, found the insurer’s interpretation of the policy provisions at issue contrary to the MVFRL and public policy. According to the dissenting arbitrator, insurer’s interpretation would either limit UIM coverage to insureds only when they were using a car insured under the policy, or to insureds who were occupying a car, but would preclude UIM coverage to insureds who were injured while occupying trucks, buses, taxicabs, motor homes, and/or motorcycles. (Id. at Exhibit B, dissenting opinion at 3.)

¶ 7 Claimant then filed a petition to vacate the arbitration award, averring that the arbitration award was “unjust, inequitable, unconscionable, contrary to law, contrary to the specific and unambiguous language of the Motor Vehicle Financial Responsibility Law and as such, unenforceable and void as against public policy.” (Petition to Vacate Arbitration Award, 3/31/99 at 3, R. at 1.) According to claimant’s brief in support of the petition, the MVFRL requires insurers to offer UIM coverage, which “shall provide protection for persons who suffer injury arising out of the maintenance or use of a motor vehicle and are legally entitled to recover damages therefor from owners or operators of underinsured motor vehicles.” (Claimant’s brief in support of Petition to Vacate Arbitration Award, 2/9/00 at 2, quoting 75 Pa.C.S.A. § 1731(c), R. at 8.) Thus, according to claimant, insurer’s policy provisions limiting UIM benefits to insureds who are using cars or who are pedestrians conflicts with the MVFRL’s requirement that insurers offer UIM benefits to protect those persons “who suffer [1264]*1264injury arising out of the maintenance or use of a motor vehicle and [who] are legally entitled to recover damages therefor from owners or operators of underin-sured motor vehicles.” 75 Pa.C.S.A. § 1731(c) (emphasis added).

¶ 8 Insurer, in contrast, based its denial of claimant’s UIM claim upon language in the policy that purportedly excluded UIM coverage to an occupant of a motorcycle. (Insurer’s brief in opposition to the petition to vacate the arbitration award (“insurer’s brief’), 2/28/00 at 1, R. at 9.) According to insurer, father purchased the car policy “to cover his cars, not to provide UM/UIM benefits for every possible vehicle he or his resident relatives may ever occupy.” (Id. at 11.) Insurer further argued that “it goes without saying here that occupying a motorcycle constitutes a fa[ ]r greater risk factor than occupying a car and imposing coverage for such a vehicle, which is not even owned by the insured, would impose an ‘onerous burden’ on Prudential in this matter.” (Id.)

¶ 9 The parties presented their briefs to the trial court, which denied the petition to vacate the arbitration award. As noted supra, a divided panel of this court reversed the trial court, and our supreme court granted allocatur and ultimately remanded for our consideration in -view of Colbert, supra. On remand, claimant raises the following issues:

A.

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Richmond v. Prudential Property & Casualty Insurance
856 A.2d 1260 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2004)

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Bluebook (online)
856 A.2d 1260, 2004 Pa. Super. 328, 2004 Pa. Super. LEXIS 2780, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/richmond-v-prudential-property-casualty-insurance-pasuperct-2004.