Opinion ID: 2197742
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: state farm's denial of rasmussens' claims

Text: The Rasmussens assert that the district court erred in applying Michigan law and in concluding that they were not insureds and, therefore, not entitled to uninsured motorist benefits under the Bosch policy. They claim that under Nebraska law, they are insureds, and that the summary judgment should be reversed. They claim that neither Rasmussen nor his wife has collected the maximum amount payable under the Bosch policy. The meaning of an insurance policy is a question of law, in connection with which an appellate court has an obligation to reach its own conclusions independently of the determination made by the lower court. Steffensmeier v. Le Mars Mut. Ins. Co., 276 Neb. 86, 752 N.W.2d 155 (2008). We conclude that under either Nebraska or Michigan law, the Rasmussens are not entitled to additional payments based on coverage pursuant to the uninsured motorist provisions of either the Bosch or the Rasmussen policy. The Bosch policy provides: If uninsured motor vehicle coverage for bodily injury is available to an insured from more than one policy provided by us or any other insurer, the total limit of liability available from all policies provided by all insurers shall not exceed the limit of liability of the single policy providing the highest limit of liability. This is the most that will be paid regardless of the number of policies involved, persons covered, claims made, vehicles insured, premiums paid or vehicles involved in the accident. The Rasmussen policy provides: If the insured sustains bodily injury as a pedestrian and other uninsured motor vehicle coverage applies: a. the total limits of liability under all such coverages shall not exceed that of the coverage with the highest limit of liability; and b. we are liable only for our share. Our share is that per cent of the damages that the limit of liability of this coverage bears to the total of all uninsured motor vehicle coverage applicable to the accident. State Farm paid the Rasmussens $100,000 pursuant to the uninsured motorist coverage of the Rasmussen policy. Both the Bosch policy and the Rasmussen policy limit the uninsured motor vehicle benefits per person to $100,000. Nebraska law provides: Regardless of the number of vehicles involved, persons covered, claims made, vehicles or premiums shown on the policy, or premiums paid, the limits of liability for uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage for two or more motor vehicles insured under the same policy or separate policies shall not be added together, combined, or stacked to determine the limit of insurance coverage available to an injured person for any one accident except as provided in section 44-6411. Neb.Rev.Stat. § 44-6410 (Reissue 2004). In the event an insured is entitled to uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage under more than one policy of motor vehicle liability insurance, the maximum amount an insured may recover shall not exceed the highest limit of any one such policy. Neb.Rev.Stat. § 44-6411(1) (Reissue 2004). Michigan courts have held that antistacking provisions are valid and not in contravention of public policy when they are clear and unambiguous. State Farm Ins. v. Tiedman, 181 Mich.App. 619, 624, 450 N.W.2d 13, 15 (1989). See, also, DeMaria v. Auto Club (On Rem), 165 Mich. App. 251, 418 N.W.2d 398 (1987). Thus, it is not necessary to determine which state's laws are applied here, because under either Michigan or Nebraska law, Rasmussen has already recovered the maximum amount to which he is entitled. Although not assigned as a separate error, the Rasmussens' argument also suggests that neither Rasmussen nor his wife has received the maximum amount recoverable under any one policy because they were paid $100,000 together. The payment from State Farm was made payable to both of them, and the funds were deposited in a joint account. Rasmussen claims that he has received only $50,000, that his wife's loss of consortium claim was not fully compensated, and that each is due another $50,000. Loss of consortium claims are derivative. See Schendt v. Dewey, 246 Neb. 573, 520 N.W.2d 541 (1994). The loss of consortium claim is based upon the injuries sustained by Rasmussen in the accident. The coverage to Rasmussen under the Rasmussen policy is one-person coverage of $100,000 per person. There are not two separate injuries. Rasmussen's wife's loss is compensable as a part of Rasmussen's $100,000-per-person coverage and is not a separate bodily injury that would provide another $100,000 of coverage under the policy. In Wilson v. Capital Fire Ins. Co., 136 Neb. 435, 286 N.W. 331 (1939), a husband and wife were both injured. The insurance policy in question had a $5,000/$10,000 limit for loss from an accident resulting in bodily injuries to one or more persons. The wife, in one suit, obtained a judgment of $5,000, which the defendant paid. The husband, in a second action, sued for personal injuries and loss of consortium, which resulted in a judgment of $4,000$275 for injuries and property damage and $3,725 for loss of services and companionship. The issue was whether the insurance company was liable for loss of consortium. The court held that the loss of consortium represented injuries sustained by one person (the wife) and that the insurance company, having paid the limit for injuries to the wife, was not liable under the terms of the policy for damages for loss of consortium. The policy limit of $5,000 covered damages, whether direct or consequential. Here, State Farm has paid the limit for injuries to one person. It is not liable for any amount above the $100,000 limit. The Bosch policy provided: ` Bodily injury to one person ' includes all injury and damages to others resulting from this bodily injury.  The Rasmussen policy has an identical provision. Any loss of consortium damages sustained by one spouse would fall into the category of damages resulting from bodily injury to the other spouse. Under the policy, such damages are combined with Rasmussen's damages and are subject to one limit of liability. State Farm has no additional liability to the Rasmussens under either policy, and the district court was correct in granting summary judgment to State Farm.