Opinion ID: 1163274
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Statutorily-based CounselFee Award

Text: By statutory mandate the common law remains in full force unless a statute explicitly provide to the contrary. [12] Legislative abrogation of the common law may not be effected by implication. [13] Statutory alteration must be clearly and plainly expressed. [14] An intent to change the common law will not be presumed from an ambiguous, doubtful or inconclusive text. [15] A revered presumption favors the preservation of common-law rights. [16] Where the common law gives a remedy, and another is provided by statute, the latter is merely cumulative, unless the statute declares it to be exclusive. [17] Section 3629, first enacted in 1957, required (by its original version) that the insurer furnish proof of loss forms to any person claiming a loss under an insurance contract. On June 3, 1977, before Christian was handed down, subsection B was approved (to be effective Oct. 1, 1977). [18] Added by that subsection was the requirement that an insurer submit a written settlement offer within a specified time and a provision for allowance of costs and counsel fee to the prevailing party. Explicitly excluded from this provision was UM coverage. Subsection B was last amended in 1985 to allow the prevailing party's recovery of interest on the verdict (15% annually). [19] Neither the prenor post- Christian amendment of § 3629 indicates legislative intent to supplant the common law. Because the statute's exclusion of UM coverage is not all-inclusive, we hold that the terms of § 3629 may be made applicable solely to contract-based UM claims and cannot affect recovery for a bad-faith tort claim against a UM carrier who did not prevail when sued ex delicto for refusal to settle. In short, we view the terms of § 3629(B) as not inconsistent with the teachings of Christian.