Court Opinion

ID: 9371158
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-02-15 17:06:22.235059+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:16:25.876927
License: Public Domain

ORIGINAL                                                                                  02/14/2023

            IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF MONTANA                                Case Number: OP 23-0089

                                        OP 23-0089

                                                                           FILED
 VIRGINIA WARD,
                                                                           FEB 14 2023
             Plaintiff and Appellant,                                    Bowen Greenwood
                                                                            of Supreme Court
                                                                          State of IVIontana

       v.
                                                                     ORDER
 SAFECO INSURANCE COMPANY
 OF AMERICA,

             Defendant and Appellee.

       In accordance with M. R. App. P. 15, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has
certified to this Court the following questions of law, which have arisen in that court's
Cause No. 21-35757:
       1. Whether an anti-concurrent clause (ACC) clause in an insurance policy
       applies to defeat insurance coverage despite Montana's recognition of the
       efficient proximate cause (EPC) doctrine; and

       2. Whether the relevant language in the general exclusions section on page
       8 of the insurance policy in this case is an ACC clause that circumvents the
       application of the EPC doctrine.

       This Court accepts the certified question on the relevant facts set forth in the Ninth
Circuit Court's certification of the question. In accordance with M. R. App. P. 15(4), we
reserve any determination whether to reformulate the question pending full consideration
of the issue. We will answer the question in due course following briefing.
       IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that the parties shall, in accordance with the
Montana Rules of Appellate Procedure, prepare, file, and serve briefs addressing the
certified question set forth above, with the opening brief of the Plaintiff and Appellant to
be filed within 30 days of the date of this Order. Thereafter, additional briefing shall
proceed in accordance with the Montana Rules of Appellate Procedure.
      The Clerk is directed to provide copies of this Order to all counsel of record for the
parties in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Cause No. 21-35757, and to the Clerk of
Court for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
      DATED this / 4/it)
                      c of February, 2023.

                                                               Chief Justice

                                                    .94 in Zit,

                                            2