Opinion ID: 1952451
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The Split of Authority

Text: Penn Mutual would have this Court adopt the first manifest doctrine. That doctrine would hold, in substance, that since Dr. Oglesby's cervical arthritis first made itself known, or first manifested itself, in 1981, long before the policy went into effect, it may deny coverage here. As Judge Schwartz noted in his excellent opinion in this case, [a]lthough the `first manifest' doctrine has been either embraced or rejected by other jurisdictions, it is a question of first impression in Delaware. [9] Also, as Judge Schwartz noted, the issues before this Court involve policy choices concerning the effect of an insured's concealment of prior sickness. [10] Judge Schwartz then noted the split of authority [11] on this question and concluded that the Supreme Court of Delaware would not relieve Penn Mutual of its bad bargain by allowing it to use a defense of `first manifest' at trial. [12] We agree.