City and Not Insurance Company Must Pay Claim, Federal Court Rules
A federal appeals court in Pennsylvania has ruled that the city of Easton, and not its insurance company, must pay a multi-million dollar settlement with the widow of a police officer who was accidentally shot by another officer inside the police department’s headquarters.
According to an Associated Press news report, the appellate court reversed a federal court’s decision that the Scottsdale Insurance Company should pay claims against the city with regard to this issue. The police officer was killed during a training exercise in March 2005. The appellate court stated Scottsdale does not have to pay the $5 million settlement with the officer’s widow.
Insurance law can be extremely complex. It is important for victims of personal injuries or families of deceased victims filing wrongful death claims to understand insurance laws. Victims can unnecessarily get stuck between two entities as they battle over who is responsible for making the payment. It is unfortunately the victim who gets caught in the middle and suffers the consequences.
Monheit is the managing lawyer at Monheit Law, outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has practiced law since 1989. Michael Monheit was the managing attorney of the law offices of Herbert Monheit — now Silverman and Fodera — a firm founded by... Michael Monheit→
