On January 10, 2024, Partner Tom Mueller obtained partial summary judgment in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania on behalf of State Farm on a plaintiff’s claim of Bad Faith. The case stems from the plaintiff’s argument that State Farm underpaid on his homeowners insurance claim resulting from damage to his Port Clinton, Pennsylvania home caused by a windstorm in April 2020. State Farm inspected the property several times and issued payments for the covered damages, but the plaintiff and his public adjuster argued that State Farm has underpaid on the claim by approximately $125,000.00.
Despite the plaintiff’s arguments, Judge Mariani found that State Farm provided sufficient evidence of the reasonableness of its estimates, while the plaintiff lacked sufficient evidence to prove that State Farm’s conduct was unreasonable and knowing or reckless under Pennsylvania’s Bad Faith statute.
The case is now set for trial in June 2024 at the Federal Courthouse in Scranton, Pennsylvania to address the plaintiff’s sole remaining claim for Breach of Contract.
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