JUNE 2016 BAD FAITH CASES: COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN IN-HOUSE COUNSEL OF (1) TPA AND (2) AUHTORIZED CLAIM REPRESENTATIVE WITH INSURER USING THEIR SERVICES IS PRIVILEGED (Middle District)
In Heller’s Gas v. International Insurance Company of Hannover, a breach of contract and bad faith case, the insured claimed that documents withheld or redacted did not fall within the attorney-client privilege, the work product doctrine, or reserve information. The insured argued that all but one document was either sent to or from employees of the insurer’s third party administrator (TPA) or its authorized claim representative, and as neither of these entities were subsidiaries of or owned by the insurer, the communications were not privileged.
In the Answer, the insurer did not assert an agency relationship with either the TPA or the authorized claims representative. It took the opposite position in the motion papers, arguing that communications between the TPA’s in-house counsel and/or the claim representative’s in-house counsel with the insurer fell within the scope of attorney-client privilege.
The court reviewed the unredacted documents in camera. The court stated: “After thoroughly examining the documents, this Court finds that the information redacted appropriately falls within the attorney-client privilege and work product doctrine and is consequently information directly related to or referencing legal strategy regarding the instant litigation. The correspondence further supports [the insurer’s] latterly-advanced argument that [the TPA and authorized claims representative] are essentially agents of [the insurer].”
