JULY 2016 BAD FAITH CASES: COURT RETAINED JURISDICTION OVER INSURER’S DECLARATORY JUDGMENT ACTION, REFUSING TO ABSTAIN UNDER SUMMY/REIFER (Western District)

In Westport Insurance Corp. v. Hippo, the insured defendant was subject to a professional malpractice action in state court. The insurer brought a declaratory judgment action in federal court, seeking a ruling of no duty to defend or indemnify the state court action. The insured then brought its own declaratory judgment and bad faith action against the insurer in state court. The insured further asked the federal court to decline jurisdiction over the insurer’s declaratory judgment action. The court applied the 8 part Reifer test and decided to exercise jurisdiction over the insurer’s declaratory judgment action.  [Note: Reifer had seemed to indicate additional factors, beyond the Third Circuit’s seminal Summy decision, favoring the exercise of jurisdiction over declaratory judgment actions, though it was a matter clearly to be weighed carefully on either side].

Other 2016 post-Reifer decisions show most district courts declining jurisdiction over insurance declaratory judgment actions, at least in opinions available on Lexis. See, e.g., Kline v. Travelers Personal Security Ins. Co. (Middle District), Rachel II, Inc. v. State National Ins. Co. (Eastern District), Liberty Insurance Corp. v. Higgenbotham, No. 2:16-cv-38 (Western District March 24, 2016), Firemen’s Insurance Co. v. B. R. Kreider & Son, Inc. (Eastern District), Steadfast Insurance Co. v. Environmental Barrier Co. (Western District), Easterday v. Federated Mutual Ins. Co. (Eastern District), State Farm Mutual Automobile Ins. Co. v. Biddle (Western District).

In one other Western District case, the court did retain jurisdiction, Rafferty v. Metropolitan Life Ins. Co.

Date of Decision: April 28, 2016

Westport Ins. Corp. v. Hippo, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 56573 (W.D. Pa. April 28, 2016) (Gibson, J.)