MARVIN F. THOMPSON, APPELLANT,
v.
COMMERCIAL UNION INSURANCE COMPANY OF NEW YORK, A CORPORATION, APPELLEE
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A judgment creditor sought to recover the excess portion of a judgment against an insurance company, alleging the insurer acted in bad faith by failing to settle within policy limits. The court held that only an insured, not a judgment creditor, may sue an insurer for negligence or bad faith in handling a claim, absent special circumstances such as an assignment of the insured's claim.
A judgment creditor cannot maintain a direct suit against an insurer for excess judgments based on the insurer's negligence or bad faith, absent special circumstances. Only an insured has the right to sue an insurer for such conduct, and the insurer's liability is limited to the policy limits as stated in the insurance contract.
[1] A judgment creditor cannot sue an insurer directly for the portion of a judgment exceeding policy limits based on the insurer's alleged negligence or bad faith in handlin…
[2] An insured may sue their insurer for damages arising from the insurer's negligence or bad faith in handling a claim.
Previewing 2 of 6 headnotes on this case. FLexlaw’s editorially structured points of law — every proposition, pinpointed — are reserved for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“The law appears to be well-settled that an insured may sue and recover damages against his insurer when said insurer is guilty of negligence or bad faith, but we do not find any support for the theory that such right can carry over to the judgment creditor who has an excess judgment, absent special circumstances.”
Establishes the core holding that judgment creditors lack standing to sue insurers for bad faith absent special circumstances.
Previewing 1 of 3 key quotes on this case — the court’s exact language, pinpointed for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceThompson obtained a $89,500 judgment against an insured party. The insured's liability policy had limits of $25,000, which was paid to Thompson. Thomp…
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This is an appeal from an order granting appellee-defendant’s motion to dismiss the complaint with prejudice.
After the court indicated his decision to grant the motion to dismiss, the appellant-plaintiff announced that he had no amendment to offer, and the court then entered its order granting the motion to dismiss “with prejudice to the plaintiff”. This appeal is from this order.
Appellant had obtained a judgment for $89,500 against a party who was insured by the appellee herein in a policy with liability limits of $25,000.00. The $25,000 had been paid to appellant, but appellant then filed this suit against appellee for the remainder of his judgment of approximately $65,000.-00, alleging, inter alia, as the primary basis for this suit, bad faith on the part of the appellee in not settling the cause originally within the limits of the policy, alleging certain withholding of information from the insured as to any offer of compromise or possibility or probability of an excess verdict.
These latter allegations appear to us to be matters which might have been of materiality to the insured, but we fail to see wherein this gives the appellant a cause of action. The appellee had paid its full contractual liability to its insured for its insured’s benefit as prescribed in the policy.
The question posed by appellant as his point on appeal is: Can a judgment creditor maintain suit directly against insurer for recovery of judgment in excess of policy limits because of alleged negligence or bad faith of insurer in conduct or handling of suit?
Limiting the question involved to the facts as alleged in this case, we must answer said question in the negative.
The law appears to be well-settled that an insured may sue and recover damages against his insurer when said insurer is guilty of negligence or bad faith, but we do not find any support for the theory that such right can carry over to the judgment creditor who has an excess judgment, absent special circumstances.
The appellant has cited in support of his claim the decision of the Florida Supreme Court in the case of Shingleton v. Bussey, 223 So.2d 713, hereinafter referred to as “Bussey”, but we fail to construe the Bussey case as being of any comfort to appellant. The original decision in the Bussey case was by this court, which was affirmed by the Florida Supreme Court in the above cited case. This court’s opinion originally dealt primarily with the interpretation and application of the Rule of Civil Procedure as to who could be made parties defendant. The insurance companies having shortly before said opinion was rendered, having claimed to be the “real party in interest” and the party liable for cost, attorney fees and payment of the judgment, up to the policy limits, were in an awkward position to assert a contrary position. The Supreme Court of Florida, in affirming this court’s decision in Bussey, expanded the rationale into “quasi-third party beneficiary contract,” but a very careful study of the Bussey decision convinces us there was no effort to enlarge upon the limits of liability of the insurance company beyond that stated in the policy. The basic and fundamental holding of the court in Bussey, regardless of theory upon which founded, was that an insurance carrier could be made a direct party defendant and bound to the plaintiff for the maximum limits of the policy, if recovery was granted.
In the case sub judice, appellant’s complaint does not allege facts showing the plaintiff to be a beneficiary of the insurance contract, but at most only a claim as a beneficiary of a breach of contract between the insurance company and its insured, and about which we have not heard the insured complain.
The other cases cited are not in point on the facts of this case, and we do not find any decision of courts of this state *249or outside which permit recovery of excess judgments against the insurer, except McNulty v. Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, 221 So.2d 208 (Fla.App.3d) wherein the insured had a valid bad faith claim against his insurer, which he assigned to the plaintiff. We do not have that set of facts here. In fact, the appellant is attempting to recover from an insurance company for an alleged breach, without which breach there probably would not have been an excess judgment.
The order appealed from is therefore affirmed.
RAWLS and SPECTOR, JJ., concur.
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Thompson v. Commercial Union Ins. Co. OF NEW York, 250 So. 2d 259 (Fla. 1971)…McCAIN, Justice. By petition for writ of certiorari, we have for review a decision of the District Court of Appeal, First District, rendered on June 30, 1970, reported at 237 So. 2d 247, affirming the dismissal of petitioner’s complaint for failure to state a cause of action. We have jurisdiction by virtue of conflict with our decision in Beta Eta House Corporation, Inc. of Tallahassee v. Gregory, 237 So. 2d 163 (Fla.1970). Petiti…
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Foy Baxter and Annie Smith Baxter v. Royal Indem. Co., 285 So. 2d 652 (Fla. 1st DCA 1973)…iability policy is fully justified in insisting on good faith treatment from his own insurer merely because there is no risk of an excess verdict to him. It may well have been, and we so held in Thompson v. Commercial Union Insurance Co., Fla.App., 237 So. 2d 247, when that case appeared in this court prior to its quashal by the Supreme Court, that the only contractual interest protected against bad faith failure to settle cases was the interest of the insured to be protected against unnecessary exposure to…
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Thompson v. Commercial Union Ins. Co. OF NEW York, 267 So. 2d 18 (Fla. 1st DCA 1972)…secondly, as to amount due to the claimant. We will not extend the office of garnishment beyond the traditional statutory role of the writ.8 Affirmed. SPECTOR, C. J., and JOHNSON, J., concur. . Thompson v. Commercial Union Insurance Co. of N. Y., 237 So. 2d 247 (1 Fla. App.1970); and Thompson v. Commercial Union Insurance Co. of N. Y., 250 So. 2d 259 (Fla.1971). . McNulty v. Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co., 221 So. 2d 208 (2 Fla.App. 1969). . Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. v. McNulty, 229 So. 2d 585, 58…
Previewing 3 of 6 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- Shingleton v. Bussey, 223 So. 2d 713 (Fla. 1969)
- Gulf Stream Motors, Inc. v. Christina Cook & the Fla. Indus. Comm'n, 223 So. 2d 713 (Fla. 1969)
- Kendrick D. McNULTY v. Nationwide Mut. Ins. Co., 221 So. 2d 208 (Fla. 3d DCA 1969)