Source: https://www.shouselaw.com/nevada/personal-injury/subrogation
Timestamp: 2019-04-25 14:54:05+00:00

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Subrogation rights allow insurance companies to recover the money it paid to its policyholders from the people who injured them. This way, insurance companies can pay its policyholders right away and then pursue reimbursement of this money from the at-fault party.
However, Nevada law precludes subrogation of Med-Pay coverage. Nevada law also prohibits insurance companies from subrogation if their policyholders have not been fully reimbursed for their damages.
Subrogation allows insurance companies to be paid back by the person at fault.
Example: Jane gets into a car accident in Nevada with Marie, who was at fault. Jane's insurance company pays Jane right away to repair the car. But since Marie was at fault, the insurance company then sues Marie's insurance company to get reimbursed for the cost of repairs.
Had Jane in the above example been uninsured, she would be allowed to seek damages from Marie's insurance company. Since Jane is insured, subrogation gives her insurance company the right to "stand in the shoes" of Jane and seek the damages she is entitled to.
Note that if Jane was at fault for the accident, then her insurance company would have no right of subrogation against Marie.
Also note that subrogation is not the same as "contributions" or "liens": They are similar concepts that benefit insurance companies, but they do not permit the insurance company to "step into the shoes" of the policyholder and assume their rights.
Subrogation allows insurance companies to "step into the shoes" of its policyholders and assume their rights.
Contractual subrogation arises from its written contract between an insurance company and its policyholder. In these cases, the parties spell out the unique terms of their subrogation agreement in the contract. Furthermore, the terms apply only to the named insurance company and policyholder in the contract.
Common examples of contractual subrogation include collision insurance. Scroll down to section 3 for more information.
A common example of statutory subrogation is workers' compensation. Scroll down to section 3 for more information.
In Nevada, equitable subrogation cases often involve mortgages.
Car insurance companies enforce subrogation when their policyholders' cars are damaged by a third party.
When drivers carry collision coverage, their insurance company will quickly pay to repair their vehicle's property damage no matter whose fault it is. But if someone other than the policyholder is at fault, then the insurance company will seek reimbursement ("subrogate") for the money it paid through the at-fault driver's insurance company.
Example: Kerry carries no car insurance. One night she loses control of her vehicle and crashes into Jeff. Since Jeff carries IM insurance, Jeff's insurance company pays all his medical bills and car repair bills. Then the insurance company sues Kerry for all the money it paid to Jeff.
Note that it makes no difference to Jeff in the above example if her insurance company is unsuccessful in getting Kerry to pay. Jeff gets to keep all the money he received through his UM claim irrespective of whether the insurance company ever gets reimbursed.
All employers are required to carry worker's compensation insurance to pay employees in the event they get injured on the job. If someone other than the injured employee caused the accident, subrogation rights permit the insurance carrier to sue the at-fault person to reimburse it.
Example: Paul delivers pizza for a living. One evening Jackie crashes into him, and Paul sustains a broken leg. Paul files a workers' comp claim, and he receives $10,000 to pay his medical bills. Paul also sues Jackie, who pays him a $20,000 settlement, part of which is meant to go towards his medical bills. Since accident victims are not allowed to receive "double recovery" for the same expenses, the employer's workers' comp carrier can try to get its $10,000 back from Paul.
Note that there are various ways that a workers' comp carrier can go about recovering money, including joining the lawsuit or filing a lien. Injured workers are advised to retain an attorney to protect their interests and ensure that workers' comp carriers are not taking back any more money than they are legally entitled to.
The risk of subrogation is that the insurance company recoups too much money, leaving policyholders with less than they are legally entitled to. The "Made Whole" doctrine and "Common Fund" doctrine help to offset these risks to policyholders.
The Made Whole doctrine prohibits insurance companies from subrogation until its policyholder has been fully reimbursed -- "made whole" -- for its losses.
Example: Helen's car sustains $30,000 in damage after Jack crashes into her car. Helen's car insurance carrier pays her $10,000 to repair the damage. Helen also receives $5,000 from Jack. Since Helen is still short of the money required to repair her car, her car insurance company cannot try to recover the money that Jack paid her.
Nevada law restricts subrogation recoveries.
The Common Fund doctrine kicks in when an insurance company's policyholder recovers money from a personal injury lawsuit: The doctrine requires the insurance company to pay a portion of the monies it recovers through subrogation to its policyholder's personal injury attorney.
Example: Norman is walking down the street when Ashley crashes into him, breaking his harm. Norman's health insurance company pays $10,000 to cover all his medical bills. Ashley has bodily injury liability coverage, so her car insurance company pays Norman $10,000 in compensatory damages to cover all his medical bills. If Norman's health insurance policy contained a reimbursement agreement, his health insurance company may recover its $10,000.
Had Ashley's car insurance company paid Norman less than $10,000, then Norman's health insurance company would only be able to recover the difference of $10,000 minus the amount Ashley paid. Note that a right or reimbursement is slightly different from a right of subrogation because reimbursement does not permit the insurance company to "step into the shoes" of the policyholder and exercise his/her rights.
Call our Las Vegas personal injury attorneys today at 702-DEFENSE for a FREE consultation.
Have you been injured in Nevada? Contact our Las Vegas personal injury attorneys at 702-DEFENSE (702-333-3673) for a FREE consultation. We will take every measure to win you all the compensatory and possibly punitive damages possible in your case. And most of the time, we can achieve this through a settlement and avoid trial.
In California? Read our article about California subrogation laws.
NRS 17.275. Subrogation of insurer. A liability insurer, who by payment has discharged in full or in part the liability of a tortfeasor and has thereby discharged in full its obligation as insurer, is subrogated to the tortfeasor's right of contribution to the extent of the amount it has paid in excess of the tortfeasor's equitable share of the common liability. This provision does not limit or impair any right of subrogation arising from any other relationship.
See, e.g., Wilmington Trust FSB v. A1 Concrete Cutting & Demolition, LLC (In re Fontainebleau Las Vegas Holdings, LLC), 128 Nev. 556, 289 P.3d 1199 (2012).
See, e.g., "What is Subrogation and why is it important?", AMIS Insurance.
See, e.g., St. Paul Fire & Marine Ins. Co. v. Emplrs Ins. Co., 122 Nev. 991, 146 P.3d 258 (2006); NRS 687B.145.
See, e.g., Breen v. Caesars Palace, 102 Nev. 79, 715 P.2d 1070 (1986); Poremba v. Southern Nevada Paving, 2017 WL 396094 (Nev. 2017); NRS 616C.215.
Maxwell v. Allstate Ins. Co., 728 P.2d 812 (Nev. 1986).
Canfora v. Coast Hotels & Casino, Inc., 121 Nev. 771, 121 P.3d 599 (2005).
State Dep't of Hum. Resources v. Elcano, 106 Nev. 449, 794 P.2d 725 (1990).
State Farm v. Wharton, 88 Nev. 183, 495 P.2d 359 (1972).

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