Title: UNITED WISCONSIN LIFE INS. CO. v. Beaty

State: alabama

Issuer: Alabama Supreme Court

Document:

775 So. 2d 191 (2000)
UNITED WISCONSIN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY et al
v.
Peggy D. BEATY and John F. Beaty.
1990925.

Supreme Court of Alabama.
July 21, 2000.
*192 Lynn Etheridge Hare and Kori L. Clement of Hare, Hair & Clement, P.C., Birmingham, for appellants.
W. Lee Pittman and J. Chris Cochran of Pittman, Hooks, Dutton & Hollis, P.C., Birmingham, for appellees.
COOK, Justice.
The defendants appeal from an order denying their motion to compel the arbitration of claims presented in an action commenced by John Beaty and Peggy Beaty. That order stated as follows:
"[Id. at 276.] Such language is necessary to ensure that there was an actual `meeting of the minds' that disputes relating to past events must be arbitrated. In other words, the party seeking to compel arbitration [as] to past events must have affirmatively informed the other party that the arbitration agreement will apply retroactively.
(Capitalization in original; other emphasis added.)
We agree with the holding and rationale of the trial court, and we adopt its order as the opinion of this Court. Consequently, the order is affirmed.
AFFIRMED.
HOUSTON, LYONS, BROWN, JOHNSTONE, and ENGLAND, JJ., concur
HOOPER, C.J., concurs in the result.
MADDOX and SEE, JJ., dissent.
HOOPER, Chief Justice (concurring in the result).
I agree with that portion of the opinion holding that the arbitration provision does not apply retroactively. However, I do not agree with the portion of the opinion stating that the arbitration provision is too narrow to apply to the Beatys' claims. The provision clearly applies to disputes arising out of or relating to the policy, the certificate, or the company's insurance practices. I would not read the language regarding the appeal procedure as limiting the entire provision to only disputes over denied claims. Therefore, I concur in the result.