Opinion ID: 1706314
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Could plaintiff maintain a suit against Universal and State Farm without first establishing liability by suing James P. Horne, the uninsured motorist?

Text: The uninsured motorists coverage is fundamentally different from automobile liability insurance. In this state a suit may not be maintained against an automobile liability insurer until judgment is obtained against the insured. In uninsured motorists insurance the insured is the injured party. The undertaking of the insurer under uninsured motorists coverage is, according to the statute, to pay the insured all sums which he shall be legally entitled to recover as damages for bodily injury    from the owner or operator of an uninsured motor vehicle   . Code Section 8285-53 provides that if action is brought by the insured against the uninsured motorist a copy of the process served on the uninsured motorist shall be served on the insurance company providing the uninsured motorists coverage. The obvious reason for this is the insurer's right of subrogation against the uninsured motorist as provided by Code section 8285-54, supra. Section 8285-55 is as follows: No such endorsement or provisions shall contain a provision requiring arbitration of any claim arising under any such endorsement or provisions. The insured shall not be restricted or prevented in any manner from employing legal counsel or instituting or prosecuting to judgment legal proceedings, but the insured may be required to establish legal liability of the uninsured owner or operator. The last clause of this section does not require a suit against the uninsured motorist before recovery may be made by the insured; this clause only requires that the insured may be required to establish legal liability of the uninsured motorist. This can be done in a suit by the insured against the insurance company issuing the policy providing the uninsured motorists coverage. That was done in this case. The suit of the plaintiff in this case is on the contract of insurance. If suit is brought by an insured against the uninsured motorist it would be in tort. The joining of a suit in tort with one on a contract may not be maintained in this jurisdiction. Plaintiff could not have sued James P. Horne and the two insurance companies in the same suit. The policies of Universal and State Farm contain a provision in the insuring part of the uninsured motorists coverage providing, (1) that no judgment against the uninsured motorist shall be conclusive, as between the insured and the insurer, on the issues of liability of the uninsured motorist or of the amount of damages unless the action is prosecuted by the insured with the written consent of the company. The State Farm policy provides that absent an agreement of the amount an insured is entitled to recover the liability of the company shall be determined only in an action against the company    Under these provisions of the policies neither insurer is in a position to contend that a direct suit cannot be maintained against the insurer until liability is established by a suit against the uninsured motorist. In Hodges v. Canal Ins. Co., supra , the Court stated that it seemed obvious that an insured under the uninsured motorists coverage could bring a direct action against the insurer. We hold he may and that a prior suit against the uninsured motorist is not required.