Geico—15 Minutes Could Save You 15% or More on Car Insurance (PA)

On January 23, 2019, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned numerous published decisions consisting of decades of precedent deciding that the “household vehicle exclusion” found in many auto policies. The Gallagher v. Geico Indemnity Company decision shows how the Court reasoned that the “household vehicle exclusion” conflicted with the UM/UIM stacking provision codified in the Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle Financial Responsibility Law (“PMVFRL”).

Gallagher was driving his motorcycle when the driver of a truck ran a stop sign. The truck crashed into Gallagher and he sustained serious injuries as a result. Importantly, Gallagher had two separate Geico auto policies. The first policy insured only the motorcycle and provided $50,000 in UIM coverage. The second Geico policy provided coverage for two of Gallagher’s other vehicles. It contained limits of $100,000 UIM coverage for each vehicle. In their analysis, the Court relied on the fact that Gallagher did not sign a specific waiver form to reject stacking. Instead, Gallagher actually paid higher premiums for stacked UIM coverage under the second Geico policy. Gallagher eventually settled the claim against the truck driver. However, he did not receive sufficient funds with respect to the serious nature of his injuries. Consequently, Gallagher sought $250,000 in UIM coverage from Geico.

Geico tendered its entire UIM policy limit of $50,000 pursuant to its first motorcycle policy but denied coverage with respect to its second auto policy as it contained a “household vehicle exclusion.” Geico filed a MSJ, citing applicable precedent which argued that Courts consistently enforce the exclusion. Upon application to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, Gallagher argued that the household vehicle exclusion acted as a de facto waiver of stacking – which, pursuant to the PMVFRL, required a specific waiver form to be enforceable. Gallagher further argued – and the Court emphasized – that he specifically paid additional premiums for stacked coverage. The Court agreed that the household vehicle exclusion was a de facto waiver of stacking and thus violated provisions of the PMVFRL.

However, the Court did provide several other statements that appear to be glimpses of possible trends with respect to the “household vehicle exclusion”. First, Geico provided all relevant policies. The Court did admit this may change insurance underwriting practices. However, it emphasized here that Geico possessed all information regarding his insurance policies and collected higher premiums from him for stacked coverage.  Second, the Court, in a footnote, argued that any insurer could likewise be on notice of multiple policies, even from different carriers. The Court stated “[f]or example, when multiple policies or insurers are involved, an insurer can require disclosure of all household vehicles and policies as part of its application process.” Ostensibly, while the Court states multiple times that this case is unique as Geico provided all policies, this footnote is an ominous sign of changes to come.

Thanks to Matthew Care for his contribution to this post.