Country Casualty Insurance v. Villa-Chavez

Defendants—Villa-Chavez and three passengers in a car he was driving—were injured in an automobile accident that was caused by an underinsured motorist. After a dispute arose between Villa-Chavez and Country Casualty Insurance Company (Country), Villa-Chavez’s underinsured motorist (UIM) carrier, Villa-Chavez brought an action—not this one—against Country. Country, acknowledging liability to defendants, then brought this action under the inter-pleader statute, ORCP 31, set out below. It deposited $50,000 with the court, the amount that it believed to be the limits of its liability for the…