Gurnick v. Government Employees Insurance

PRICE, Judge:

Appellant appeals from an order of the court of common pleas sustaining appellee’s preliminary objections and thereby dismissing the second count of appellant’s three-count complaint. This case presents the question whether a claimant under Pennsylvania’s No-fault Motor Vehicle Insurance Act1 may recover punitive damages from the insured’s insurance company for failure to pay his claim promptly. We hold that such damages are not recoverable under the Act and therefore affirm the order of the court of common pleas.

The pertinent facts are as follows. Appellant filed a three-count…