Shea Davis nka Marciano v. Erie Insurance

District Court, N.D. Ohio·Decided August 24, 2026·No. 4:25-cv-01528·Unknown

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF OHIO EASTERN DIVISION

SHEA DAVIS nka MARCIANO, ) CASE NO. 4:25-cv-1528 ) ) Plaintiff, ) CHIEF JUDGE SARA LIOI ) vs. ) ) MEMORANDUM OPINION ) AND ORDER ERIE INSURANCE, ) ) ) Defendant. )

Plaintiff Shea Davis nka Marciano (“Davis”) was injured in a July 2024 motorcycle accident and made a claim under an automobile insurance policy issued by defendant Erie Insurance (“Erie”). (Doc. No. 1-1 (Complaint); Doc. No. 1-5 (Answer).) After Erie denied coverage, Davis brought suit in state court, and Erie removed the action to federal court. (Doc. No. 1 (Notice of Removal) ¶¶ 1, 9–10.) Now before the Court is Erie’s motion for summary judgment. (Doc. No. 19 (Motion); Doc. No. 19-1 (Memorandum).) Davis opposes the motion (Doc. No. 22 (Response)), and Erie has filed a reply. (Doc. No. 23 (Reply).) For the reasons set forth herein, Erie’s motion for summary judgment is GRANTED. I. BACKGROUND A. The Accident and Liability Claim On the evening of July 4, 2024, Davis was riding with her boyfriend Eddie Santos (“Santos”) on his Harley Davidson when Santos merged onto the highway. (Doc. No. 18-1 (Davis Deposition), at 241 –26.) The roadway had “uneven pavement” and “a lot of gravel” causing Santos to “los[e] control” of the motorcycle and “throw[ing]” Davis, who can only recall “flying in the air” before “hitting pavement[.]” (Id. at 25, 29.) Davis sustained multiple injuries, including: an unstable fracture of both wrists, an unstable fracture of the left ankle and right knee, a slight back fracture, a concussion, and road burns. (Id. at 31–32.) Davis has since received extensive medical treatment, including surgery and physical therapy. (Id. at 33–51.) Davis initially “present[ed] a liability claim against Eddie Santos who was insured by Progressive Insurance Company[.]” (Doc. No. 1-1 ¶ 5.) There is no dispute that Santos’s insurer “tendered its liability policy limits of One hundred Thousand [] dollars.” (Id.) Davis then presented underinsured motorist (“UIM”) and medical-payment (“med-pay”) coverage claims to Erie under

her automobile policy to recover the balance of her damages. (Id. ¶¶ 6–9, 14.) Erie denied Davis’s claims as “excluded and/or limited under the terms of [her policy].” (Doc. No. 1-5 ¶ 11.) B. The Policy Erie issued Policy No. Q067507810 (“the Policy”) to Davis on June 25, 2024, effective for the Policy Period running until June 25, 2025. (Doc. No. 19-3 (Excerpts of the Policy), at 2.) The Policy defines the scope of coverage and lays out various limitations and exclusions. (Id. at 6–41.) As relevant to the present motion, the Policy includes a “GENERAL POLICY DEFINITIONS” (“GPD”) section (id. at 6–7), an “UNINSURED/UNERINSURED MOTORISTS BODILY INJURY COVERAGE ENDORSEMENT – OHIO” (“UIM Endorsement”) (id. at 28–30), and an “AUTO MEDICAL PAYMENTS AND DEATH BENEFIT COVERAGE ENDORSEMENT –

OHIO” (“med-pay Endorsement”) (id. at 17–18).

1 All page number references herein are to the consecutive page numbers applied to each individual document by the Court’s electronic filing system. 2 1. General Policy Definitions The GPD section defines the relevant terms for this action. An “Auto” is “any land ‘motor vehicle’ with at least four wheels except a: . . . 4. ‘miscellaneous vehicle.’” (Id. at 6 (emphasis in original).) A “Miscellaneous vehicle” is “a motorcycle (including a motorcycle with a sidecar), moped, snowmobile, golf cart, all terrain vehicle and any similar recreational vehicle.” (Id. at 7 (emphasis in original).) An “Auto we insure” means an “1. ‘owned auto we insure;’2 2. ‘temporary substitute;’3 or 3. ‘nonowned auto.’”4 (Id. at 6 (emphasis in original).) 2. UIM Endorsement The UIM Endorsement broadly defines a “Motor vehicle” as “a self-propelled vehicle designed for use and principally used on public roads, including an automobile, truck, semi-tractor, motorcycle, and bus.” (Id. at 28 (emphasis in original).) The Endorsement also includes “LIMITS

OF PROTECTION” with a subsection for “Limitations of Payment.” (Id. at 30 (emphasis in original).) Two limitations are relevant to the present motion. The third Limitations paragraph provides: “‘We’ will pay no more than the Uninsured/Underinsured Motorists Coverage limits shown on the ‘Declarations’ for the ‘auto’ involved in the accident, regardless of the number of persons ‘we’ protect, ‘autos we insure,’ premiums paid or shown on the ‘Declarations,’ claims made or ‘autos’ involved in the accident.” (Id. (emphasis in original).) The fifth Limitations

2 An “Owned auto we insure” is defined as an “1. ‘auto’ or ‘trailer’ described on the ‘Declarations’ for the coverages ‘you’ have purchased; 2. ‘additional auto,’ or ‘additional trailer;’ 3. ‘replacement auto,’ or ‘replacement trailer[.]’” (Doc. No. 19-3, at 7 (emphasis in original).) All three categories require the policyholder to “acquire, purchase, or lease” the vehicle. (Id. at 6–7 (emphasis in original).) 3 A “Temporary substitute” is defined as “any ‘auto’ or ‘trailer’ which is a substitute for an ‘owned auto we insure.’ The ‘owned auto we insure’ must be withdrawn from normal use because of its breakdown, destruction, loss, repair or servicing. The ‘temporary substitute’ cannot be owned by ‘you’ and must be used with the permission of the owner.” (Doc. No. 19-3, at 7 (emphasis in original).) 4 A “Nonowned auto” is defined as a “1. while ‘you’ are using it, any ‘auto,’ ‘moving van,’ ‘trailer’ or ‘temporary substitute’ not owned or leased by ‘you’[.]” (Doc. No. 19-3, at 8 (emphasis in original).) 3 paragraph provides: “Uninsured/Underinsured Motorists Bodily Injury Coverage does not apply to a ‘miscellaneous vehicle’ unless the ‘miscellaneous vehicle’ is listed on the ‘Declarations’ and a premium is shown for this coverage.” (Id. (emphasis in original).) 3. Med-Pay Endorsement The med-pay Endorsement’s “OUR PROMISE” section sets forth the general med-pay coverage grant: “‘We’ will pay reasonable medical expenses when ‘anyone we protect’ suffers bodily injury in an accident. . . . Injury must be caused by an accident: 1. while ‘anyone we protect’ is ‘occupying’ or using an ‘auto we insure[.]’” (Id. at 17 (emphasis in original).) An accompanying “EXCLUSIONS – What We Do Not Cover” section lists eleven exclusions to coverage. (Id. (emphasis in original).) As relevant, Exclusion ten provides: “‘We’ do not cover

injuries sustained by . . . anyone while ‘occupying’ or using a motorcycle . . . A motorcycle is a two or three-wheel motor vehicle.” (Id. at 18 (emphasis in original).) C. The Instant Action On May 27, 2025, Davis filed suit in state court asserting claims for UIM and med-pay coverage under the Policy. (See generally Doc. No. 1-1.) The complaint alleges that Erie breached the insurance contract and seeks a declaration (1) that Erie “must provide [UIM] coverage to” Davis; (2) that “any alleged ‘miscellaneous vehicle’ exclusion” be “deemed unenforceable and unconscionable” under Ohio Rev. Code § 3937.18 (“Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage.”); (3) that Erie provided “insufficient notice of any amendments” to Davis, “thereby rendering such endorsements unenforceable”; (4) that Davis “is entitled to [UIM coverage] in the amount of [$300,000.00], less the applicable limits of [$100,000.00] of [Santos] to the extent that

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