State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance v. Cuffee

We must decide in this appeal the extent to which an uninsured motorist carrier is entitled to defend its interests in a personal injury case when the uninsured motorist admits liability. Because we think the trial court improperly limited the carrier’s ability to defend, we will reverse.

The controversy stems from an automobile accident that occurred in the City of Chesapeake on September 26, 1990. On that date, Dorothea Cuffee was riding in an automobile operated by Etta Sivels, her cousin, when the vehicle was struck head-on by a car driven by Connie Harris. Seeking damages for her…