Alabama Supreme Court Reverses Trial Court Decision

Huie was retained to handle an appeal from the Trial Court’s granting of more than $620,000 in punitive sanctions against Allstate Insurance based upon its handling of the underlying auto accident case, including alleged misconduct in connection with a court-ordered mediation. The Trial Court found that Allstate willfully disobeyed the Mediation Order because it did not attend the mediation with settlement authority and defended the case to jury verdict with no “legitimate” defenses to the claim. In reversing the decision, the Alabama Supreme Court found that there was “no evidence” to support a finding that Allstate committed any actionable misconduct in the handling of the case, including the participation in the mediation process. The Supreme Court returned the case to the Trial Court for appropriate Order of Dismissal. The appeal was handled by Firm members De Martenson and Madison Morrison.

For the full opinion released on February 19, 2021, click here.