Opinion ID: 1791065
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: is fuselier entitled to punitive damages, prejudgment interest and attorney's fees paid in litigating the instant appeal?

Text: ¶ 31. Fuselier contends that American Guarantee should have to pay punitive damages, attorney's fees, prejudgment interest and litigation expenses up through the present appeal because of its bad faith refusal to pay and failure to undertake a prompt investigation of the insured's payment of fees in this case. Fuselier cites Universal Life Ins. Co. v. Veasley, 610 So.2d 290 (Miss.1992); Preferred Risk Mut. Ins. Co. v. Johnson, 730 So.2d 574 (Miss.1998) and State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co. v. Grimes, 722 So.2d 637 (Miss.1998), as cases where punitive damages were allowed for an insurance company's refusal to pay expenses after they had been ordered to on remand, and where the refusal to pay was unsupported. ¶ 32. While Fuselier has cited cases, they have failed to provide any meaningful analysis to support their assertion that they are due punitive damages, prejudgment interest and attorney's fees for the cost of remand. Veasley and Grimes are both cases where the insurance company initially failed to pay insurance claims and have little resemblance to the present action. While Preferred Risk Mut. Ins. Co. v. Johnson is a case that is pertinent to the present case, it sheds no light on this particular issue. None of the cases presented by Fuselier has any relevance or applicability to the issue of whether punitive damages, prejudgment interest or attorney's fees should be awarded in connection to this action on appeal. ¶ 33. This issue is without merit.