Opinion ID: 1756154
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Is the Limits of Liability provision in State Farm's policy void as being in conflict with the statute?

Text: The statute requires the uninsured motorist coverage 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, within limits which shall be no less than those set forth in the Mississippi Motor Vehicle Safety Responsibility Law... . Miss. Code Ann. § 83-11-101 (1972). There is no requirement that the coverage shall be more than the minimum thus stated. As to any policy which grants the coverage required by the aforesaid Act, any excess or additional coverage shall not be subject to the provisions of this article. Miss. Code Ann. § 83-11-111 (1972). The coverage Insured contends for in this case is excess or additional to that required by the statute and by the express terms of the statute is not subject to its provisions. It follows that the parties to this suit were free to contract as to uninsured motorist coverage in any respect so long as the required coverage is not cut down by the policy provisions. See Harthcock v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co., 248 So.2d 456 (Miss. 1971). If State Farm and Insured could contract free of statutory restraint as to excess coverage, they could also contract to limit the coverage to that required by statute. They did this by the Limits of Liability provision. Thus the limitation clause is consistent with the statute.