In a 3-2 decision, the South Carolina Supreme Court has concluded that public policy is offended by a portability limitation clause which purports to prevent non-resident relatives from importing UIM coverage from an at-home vehicle’s policy when the involved vehicle lacks UIM coverage. Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company v. Rhoden, Arrieta and Dickey (Op. No. 27131,… Continue Reading
Don’t Just Ignore Compliant Requests
Sometime ago, I wrote a blog article on the new Code Section 38-77-250, which requires automobile insurance companies to disclose, prior to suit, the limits of coverage pursuant to specific requests. Since then, I have had a number of inquiries asking two recurring questions. What is the operative trigger for the statute – the date… Continue Reading
Insurers Must Disclose Limits Before Suit is Filed
As part of the newly-enacted South Carolina Fairness in Civil Justice Act of 2011, which became effective January 1, 2012, insurance companies must now, under certain conditions, disclose the automobile coverage limits to a plaintiff’s lawyer prior to the lawyer filing suit. This has been a controversy in our state for a number of years,… Continue Reading