Opinion ID: 888929
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Idaho Court Proceedings

Text: ¶ 13 FICI responded by filing a complaint in Bannock County, Idaho, on March 13, 2003, that sought to compel arbitration of the UIM claim. FIE joined the complaint five days later. Three days later, on March 21, 2003, Tucker and Hoctor filed a complaint in Montana that sought damages against McNair for negligence and asserted UIM claims against FICI and FIE. FICI and FIE filed motions to dismiss the Montana action. The District Court dismissed the Montana action on June 23, 2003, based on comity and the fact that the Idaho court was considering the question of whether the insurance policies compelled arbitration. The Idaho district court interpreted the insurance contracts and granted FICI's motion to compel arbitration as its insurance policy contained an express arbitration clause. The Idaho district court denied FIE's motion to compel arbitration as its insurance policy did not contain an arbitration clause. ¶ 14 Tucker settled her claim with FICI after providing FICI with evidence that Cady Tucker had lived an appreciable time after the accident. Tucker and Hoctor agreed to discharge their UIM claim against FICI under Idaho law for the $250,000 policy limit. Hoctor received $70,000 and Tucker received $180,000. The parties did not apportion this settlement between survivorship damages and wrongful death damages. The Idaho district court dismissed this portion of the case with prejudice on December 29, 2003. ¶ 15 Tucker and Hoctor filed a second complaint in Montana on September 2, 2003, that sought damages against FIE. FIE moved to dismiss the second Montana action on June 30, 2004. The Montana court declined to rule on the dismissal motion and stayed the action pending resolution of the Idaho proceedings. ¶ 16 FIE sought leave to file an amended complaint for declaratory relief in the Idaho action on November 10, 2003. FIE sought a declaratory judgment to determine whether Tucker and Hoctor could recover under the FIE's UIM coverage and the amount of such recovery. The Idaho district court allowed FIE leave to amend its complaint in order to pursue a declaratory judgment to determine whether FIE must pay [damages] and to whom it must pay the damages. The court refused, however, to allow FIE to determine in such action the amount of damages [Tucker and Hoctor] may seek from FIE in a wrongful death action and/or breach of contract action. ¶ 17 FIE appealed to the Idaho Supreme Court. The Idaho Supreme Court agreed that no authority supported FIE's efforts to maintain a declaratory judgment action to determine damages when a wrongful death and survivorship action was pending in Montana to address the identical issue. Farmers Ins. Exchange v. Tucker, 142 Idaho 191, 125 P.3d 1067, 1071 (2005). ¶ 18 The Idaho Supreme Court admitted that FIE's argument contained some initial curb appeal as the case involved the interpretation of an insurance policy issued in Idaho to Idaho insureds. Tucker, 125 P.3d at 1071. The court further recognized that most of the likely trial witnesses on the damages issue lived in Idaho. The court ultimately determined, however, that the remaining issues in the case boiled down to the question of how much FIE must pay under its policy. Tucker, 125 P.3d at 1071. The court concluded that the only issue of substance to be determined is the factual question as to the amount of damages, a question which is pending in the first-filed regular action in the state of Montana. Tucker, 125 P.3d at 1071.