Uninsured Motorist Claims Just Got Easier for Florida Drivers

As a Florida car insurance claim lawyer I was pleased that Florida’s Fifth District Court of Appeal ruled in favor of injured Florida driver, Christopher Ruddy, in Ruddy v. Carelli and Metropolitan Casualty Insurance Company. Ruddy sued his own insurance company, Metropolitan, to obtain his uninsured/under-insured motorist coverage (UM). UM insurance provides valuable coverage to Florida’s drivers in the event that they are injured in a car accident by a driver who either does not have coverage or not enough to compensate for injuries, lost wages or medical bills.

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The Court ruled that if a UM insurance policy forces the insured to sue the defendant driver, in order to collect on UM benefits it is on its face “against public policy.” Of course, UM carriers like Metropolitan are not in favor of such rulings as they prefer to have individuals on verdict forms, hoping it will convince jurors to return smaller verdicts than if the case was against a corporate giant insurance carrier.