Opinion ID: 2510271
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: answer to question declined.

Text: EDMONDSON, J. ¶ 1 Pursuant to the Revised Uniform Certification of Questions of Law Act, 20 O.S. 2001, §§ 1601 et seq., the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma submitted the following question to this Court: Whether Oklahoma law requires a finding that the insured intended to deceive the insurer before a misrepresentation, omission, or incorrect statement on an insurance application can serve as a ground to prevent recovery under the policy pursuant to Okla. Stat. Tit. 36 § 3609. See Hays v. Jackson National Life Insurance Co., 105 F.3d 583 (10th Cir.1997). ¶ 2 Title 20 O.S.2001, § 1602 permits this Court to exercise its discretion to answer a question of law within designated guidelines when it is properly certified by specified courts. The statute states: Power to Answer. The Supreme Court and the Court of Criminal Appeals may answer a question of law certified to it by a court of the United States, or by an appellate court of another state, or of a federally recognized Indian tribal government, or of Canada, a Canadian province or territory, Mexico, or a Mexican state, if the answer may be determinative of an issue in pending litigation in the certifying court and there is no controlling decision of the Supreme Court or Court of Criminal Appeals, constitutional provision, or statute of this state. ¶ 3 Insureds, Michael and Sandra Tolliver, contend this certified question does not meet the prerequisites of the Uniform Questions of Law Act as we have controlling precedent on the issue. They argue the presentation of this question to us is therefore not appropriate and we should decline to answer it. ¶ 4 We agree with the Tollivers and, as discussed below, we respectfully decline to answer the question. We note that we have previously declined to answer questions certified to us. See Cray v. Deloitte Haskins & Sells, 1996 OK 102, 925 P.2d 60 (statutory requirements not met as the certifying court had already determined the question certified); Bituminous Casualty Corp. v. Cowen Construction, Inc., v.2002 OK 34, 55 P.3d 1030 (answer to second question made the first moot); Hammock v. United States, 2003 OK 77, 78 P.3d 93 (threshold predicate of second question not met by our answer to first question).