Opinion ID: 2590298
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Application of Allstate's duty to inform to the facts of this case

Text: Here, Miller asserts that Allstate incorrectly informed him that Hopkins had not rejected Allstate's offer and it failed to inform him of the possibility of Miller's contributing to an interpleader action. At trial, Miller testified that he would have paid Allstate's interpleader costs and that he had the financial capability to do so, although on cross-examination Miller admitted that he did not know how much the action would cost. We conclude that regardless of whether Miller had the financial capabilities to pay for the action, Allstate should have informed him of the settlement offer. Instead, Allstate rejected Hopkins' offer and told Miller that Hopkins was still considering Allstate's policy-limit offer. Allstate breached its duty to inform when it failed to inform Miller of the offer. Miller could have chosen at that time to hire independent counsel to review the offer and pursue any available options, such as initiating an interpleader complaint at his expense or contributing additional funds to Allstate's $25,000 settlement offer in return for a release from Hopkins. At a minimum, Allstate's failure to adequately inform Miller of Hopkins' settlement offer prevented Miller from considering his available options. Thus, Miller's failure-to-inform theory is viable and applies to the facts of this case.