Wensman v. Farmers Ins. Co. of Idaho

997 P.2d 609, 134 Idaho 148, 2000 Ida. LEXIS 25
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 29, 2000
Docket24634
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 997 P.2d 609 (Wensman v. Farmers Ins. Co. of Idaho) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wensman v. Farmers Ins. Co. of Idaho, 997 P.2d 609, 134 Idaho 148, 2000 Ida. LEXIS 25 (Idaho 2000).

Opinions

TROUT, Chief Justice.

This case involves attorney fees and the subrogation claim of an insurance company. The appellant, Farmers Insurance Company (Farmers) claims it should not have to pay the insureds’ attorney for collecting the insurance subrogation claim when Farmers specifically told the attorney it did not want the attorney’s assistance in collecting that claim. The district judge granted summary judgment for the insureds and Farmers now appeals that decision.

I.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

On July 20, 1994, Katrina Wensman (Wensman) was involved in an automobile accident with Chad Christopherson (Christopherson). Christopherson was clearly at fault and liability was not disputed. At the time of the accident, Wensman was insured by Farmers and Christopherson was insured by State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm). Carrie Ann Coen (Coen) was a passenger in Wensman’s vehicle at the time of the accident.

To aid in recovering against State Farm, Wensman and Coen hired attorney Darrel Aherin (Aherin) to represent them on a 25% contingency fee agreement. On September 19, 1994, Aherin filed a proof of loss with Farmers for damages from the accident. Farmers ultimately paid Wensman a total of $1,890.29 and Coen $1,334.30 for medical expenses. Additionally, in October of that year, Farmers notified Aherin that: (1) Fanners did not want Aherin’s assistance in collecting its subrogation claim from State Farm; (2) Farmers was not going to waive any of its rights under the policy; and (3) Farmers had a subrogation claim in the event of a settlement.

In November of 1994, State Farm replied to an inquiry from Farmers, acknowledging Farmers’ subrogation claim for medical bills that were reasonable and necessary. Farmers corresponded with State Farm in January of 1995 and inquired into the status of a settlement and whether State Farm had processed Farmers’ subrogation claim. On March 21, 1995, Farmers again wrote to State Farm inquiring about the status of the subrogation claim. The same letter was sent to State Farm in May and August.

In October of 1995, Farmers made the same inquiry, but this time it added a request that upon settlement a separate cheek be made out to Farmers with no reference to Aherin. Farmers added, “[w]e did not hire this attorney to handle our medical subrogation claim.” Fanners further stated that if Aherin’s name appeared on the cheek, Farm[150]*150ers would file for arbitration because its rights would not be protected.

In December of 1995, and in January, April and May of 1996, Farmers repeated its letters to State Farm inquiring into the status of its subrogation claim. On June 20, 1996, a Farmers’ claims processor had a telephone conversation with a State Farm claims representative regarding the running of the statute of limitations on Farmers’ subrogation claim. In a letter from Farmers to State Farm dated the same day, Farmers requested that State Farm “protect our subrogation interest after the two year statute runs ... which would eliminate the need to file deferment through Arbitration.” On June 24,1996, a State Farm claims representative signed Fanners’ request and returned it to Farmers, acknowledging that State Farm would protect Farmers’ subrogation claim after the running of the statute of limitations.

On July 25,1996, Aherin wrote to Farmers to inform it of the settlement offer made to Coen for $12,000. In the letter, Aherin requested that Farmers waive its subrogation claim so Coen could be “made whole.” Aherin also claimed that since the “intercompany arbitration agreement” was not disclosed to the insured, then neither Wensman nor Coen were bound by the agreement. Finally, Aherin noted that “State Farm demands a full release ... for the case to be settled.” Aherin then repeated the letter on July 29 for Wensman’s $10,000 settlement offer.

Farmers replied in July 1996, and agreed that Coen was an insured under the policy, but that as such, Coen was bound by Farmers’ subrogation rights in the policy. Further, Farmers reasserted its right to subrogation and explained that it had no intent of waiving those rights. Farmers repeated the letter for Wensman on August 7,1996.

On October 17, 1996, Wensman and Coen signed a settlement release with State Farm. The settlement provided for Wensman to receive $10,000 and Coen to receive $12,000. On October 25, 1996, Aherin sent two cheeks to Farmers, one made to Wensman/Farmers, and the other to Coen/Farmers, for the amounts of subrogation. Aherin requested that Farmers endorse the cheeks and then return them so that Wensman and Coen could endorse the checks. Aherin would then withhold his 25% fees and return the balance to Farmers. The attorney fees were $472.57 for Wensman and $333.57 for Coen. Farmers responded by returning the checks unsigned and added that Aherin was not entitled to any attorney fees for the subrogated amounts.

Aherin filed for a declaratory judgment against Farmers in December of 1996. In the complaint, Aherin alleged that he was entitled to attorney fees from Farmers because he had a contract with Wensman and Coen for 25% of their total recovery. Aherin also asserted that it was unfair to allow Farmers to benefit from the settlement without having to pay a proportionate share of the costs incurred in obtaining the settlement.

On December 30,1996, Farmers requested that its attorney respond to the complaint. Farmers’ attorney moved the district judge for summary judgment and dismissal on March 21, 1997. In its motion for summary judgment, Farmers sought to enforce the subrogation clause contained in the policy. Farmers further claimed it had informed Aherin that Farmers did not want his efforts in recovering its subrogation claims from State Farm.

In May of 1997, the district judge denied Farmers’ motion for summary judgment and dismissal. The district judge ruled that, drawing all inferences in favor of Wensman and Coen, Farmers was not entitled to summary judgment because of the application of the “fund doctrine.” The district judge held that while he could not determine how much effort was necessary for an insurer to avoid the fund doctrine, he could not, as a matter of law, find that Farmers had done enough in this case. The judge found that it was “necessary to assess whether Farmers participated in and benefited from creation of the fund.”

On June 18,1997, Aherin filed a motion for summary judgment on behalf of Wensman and Coen, supported by an affidavit of Aherin. This affidavit provided a specific summary of the actions taken by Aherin in pur[151]*151suit of the settlement with State Farm. The affidavit also included all correspondence with Farmers regarding the subrogation claim.

After a hearing on September 4, 1997, the district judge denied Wensman and Coen’s motion for summary judgment on September 17, 1997. In its opinion and order, the district judge again set forth the requirements needed to prevail on a fund doctrine theory and concluded that “a genuine issue of material fact exists on whether Farmers benefited” from the creation of the fund.

Following both parties’ motions to reconsider, and additional affidavits from both parties, the district judge issued his third opinion and order on January 26, 1998, granting Wensman and Coen’s motion, and finding that the State Farm claims representative had relied upon the information gained from Aherin’s prosecution of the case.

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Wensman v. Farmers Ins. Co. of Idaho
997 P.2d 609 (Idaho Supreme Court, 2000)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
997 P.2d 609, 134 Idaho 148, 2000 Ida. LEXIS 25, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wensman-v-farmers-ins-co-of-idaho-idaho-2000.