this pdf of the State Farm trial brief - Insurance Coverage Blog

Case 1:06-cv-00055-RHW Document 77-1 Filed 03/02/2007 Page 2 of 17
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. State Farm's "Wind/Water Claim Handling Protocol" Is Relevant and Admissible
(If at All) Only in the Second Phase of the Trial .................................................................1
A. The Wind/Water Claim Handling Protocol Is Not Admissible in Phase I of
the Trial....................................................................................................................1
B. The Wind/Water Claim Handling Protocol Should Be Admitted in Phase
II Only If It Has Some Demonstrable Connection to the Handling of
Plaintiffs' Claims......................................................................................................3
C. The Wind/Water Claims Handling Protocol Is Not Evidence of Bad Faith
or Other Culpable Conduct Meriting Punitive Damages .........................................4
II.
To Recover for Wind Damage, Plaintiffs Have the Burden of Proving the Amount
of Independent Damage Attributable to Wind.....................................................................6
III. Plaintiffs Are Not Entitled to Punitive Damages .................................................................9
A. Plaintiffs Cannot Show that State Farm Did Not Have an Arguable Basis
for Denying Their Claim........................................................................................10
B. Plaintiffs Cannot Make the Additional Required Showing By Clear and
Convincing Evidence that State Farm Acted with Actual Malice or Gross
Negligence or Committed Actual Fraud in Denying Plaintiffs' Claim ..................13