Wolfe v. Allstate Property & Casualty Insurance Company

Posted By Haggerty, Goldberg, Schleifer & Kupersmith, P.C.

HGSK is active in the Pennsylvania Association for Justice, an organization of trial lawyers in Pennsylvania dedicated to the rights of injured persons. In this regard, working with Scott Cooper, Esquire of Schmidt & Kramer in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, James C. Haggerty and Suzanne T. Tighe of our office recently prepared and filed an Amicus Curiae Brief in Wolfe v. Allstate Property & Casualty Insurance Company. This Friend of the Court Brief was filed on behalf of Pennsylvania Association for Justice by Jim Haggerty and Suzanne Tighe.

At issue in the case is the assignability of a bad faith claim under the Pennsylvania Bad Faith Statute, 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 8371. In the underlying tort case, a verdict was returned in favor of Jared Wolfe against Karl Zierle. Karl Zierle then assigned the right to recover the verdict and any additional consequential and bad faith damages against his insurer, Allstate, to Jared Wolfe. Allstate challenges the assignability, seeking to avoid responsibility for its bad faith actions.

On behalf of the Pennsylvania Association for Justice, HGSK filed a Friend of the Court Brief arguing that the bad faith claim against Allstate was, in fact, assignable and collectible. The matter will be decided by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.