Thompson v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance

It is not often that a routine venue dispute triggers difficult issues of statutory construction and constitutional law. But this is such a case.

At the center of the controversy is a 2007 enactment of the General Assembly creating administrative and judicial remedies for a first-party insured against a property and casualty insurer who fails to act in good faith in denying coverage or declining payment for a covered loss. Chapter 150, Laws of 2007. 1 The law also confers on the parties the right to have “the case” tried by a jury. CJP § 3-1701(j). Before filing a “civil action” for damages…