Attorney-Negotiated Medical Discounts Reduce Tort Victim’s Recovery

The Louisiana Supreme Court has issued the first ruling from a state’s highest court on the issue of whether a tort victim’s potential recovery in a lawsuit is diminished when her attorney negotiates medical discounts on her behalf. The court ruled that tort victims can only recover the lower rate for medical services they actually pay.

The case, Hoffman v. 21st Century N Am. Ins. Co., No. 14-2279, 2015 La. LEXIS 1962 (La. Oct. 2, 2015), dealt with the collateral source rule. Under the …

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Louisiana Supreme Court Expands Failure to Settle and Misrepresentation Claims Against Insurers

In Kelly v. State Farm Fire & Casualty Co., 2015 La. LEXIS 697 (La. May 5, 2015), the Louisiana Supreme Court answered two critical questions regarding an insurer’s claim handling responsibilities. First, the court held that an insurer can be found liable for bad faith failure to settle, notwithstanding that the insurer never received a firm settlement offer. Second, the court held that an insurer can be found liable for misrepresenting or failing to disclose facts that are not related to the insurance policy’s …

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AD&D Policy Beneficiaries’ Recovery Limited To Death Benefits — No Recovery for Dismemberment Injuries Leading To Death

In Malbrough v. Kanawha Insurance Co., 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 48394 (W.D. La. Apr. 9, 2015), the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana was asked to determine the benefit payable to the plaintiff beneficiaries under an Accidental Death and Dismemberment insurance policy issued by Kanawha. The court held in favor of the insurers, ruling that the beneficiaries were limited to death benefits only, and not to additional benefits relating to the loss of the decedent’s foot.

Following the death of the …

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