Opinion ID: 1163274
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Teachings of Christian and its Progeny

Text: Bad-faith refusal to settle a claim was first recognized as a distinct tort in Christian. [9] The claim rests on the insurer's implied-in-law duty to act in good faith and deal fairly with the insured to ensure that the policy benefits are received. [10] Christian, which shaped our common law of tort, made counsel fees an element of the insured's damage recovery for insurer's bad-faith refusal to pay the claim. [11] A Christian counsel-fee plea is a part of the claim; it does not depend on an insured's prevailing party status. There can be no doubt that Brashier is entitled to a counsel-fee award under the bad-faith tort rubric of Christian. What remains to be determined is the effect of § 3629(B) upon the viability of his commonlaw Christian counsel-fee award.