725 So. 2d 1151 | Fla. Dist. Ct. App. | 1998
Appellant, Douglas Rodante (Rodante), challenges the trial court order dismissing with prejudice his first-party bad faith complaint against appellee, Fidelity National Insurance Company (Fidelity). We affirm.
Rodante maintained a motor vehicle insurance policy with Fidelity. At issue here and below was Rodante’s $10,000 personal injury protection (PIP) coverage under Fidelity’s
On September 18, 1997, Rodante filed his first-party bad faith action against Fidelity below. Fidelity moved to dismiss Rodante’s complaint for failure to state a cause of action on the basis that Fidelity’s payment of its PIP benefits limits and Rodante’s dismissal with prejudice of his County Court action for PIP benefits extinguished any right to a bad faith action. The trial judge agreed, ruling as follows:
1. that Florida Statute section 624.155(2)(a) requires as a condition precedent to the bringing of a statutory bad faith action that Notice of Insurer Violation be given in the manner prescribed by that section;
2. that Plaintiffs Notice as required [by] Florida Statute section 624.155(2)(a) was untimely in that it was served at a time when any bad faith cause of action did not exist or had been cured;
3. that pursuant to Florida Statute section 624.155(2)(d) no action can lie since Defendant paid its policy limits in full prior to the filing of Plaintiffs untimely Notice;
4. and that, as a result, Plaintiff has not stated and cannot state a cause of action for bad faith against Defendant.
We agree with the trial court. In regard to first-party bad faith claims, we approve the reasoning of Judge Glazebrook in Talat Enterprises, Inc. v. Aetna Casualty & Surety Co., 952 F.Supp. 773 (M.D.Fla.1996). An insurer’s payment to its insured of the limits of liability of PIP coverage prior to the filing of a section 624.155(2)(a) notice extinguishes any right of action for bad faith for the insurer’s failure to pay PIP claims that the insured might claim.
Affirmed.