Alan Trujillo v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company

972 F.2d 1343 NOTICE: Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3 provides that dispositions other than opinions or orders designated for publication are not precedential and should not be cited except when relevant under the doctrines of law of the case, res judicata, or collateral estoppel. Alan TRUJILLO, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. STATE FARM MUTUAL AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE COMPANY, Defendant-Appellant. No. 91-15666. United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Argued and Submitted May 13, 1992. Decided July 28, 1992. Before GOODWIN, FLETCHER and T.G. NELSON, Circuit Judges. 1 MEMORANDUM * 2 State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm) appeals a judgment on a jury verdict in this diversity action for bad faith failure to settle a claim within the policy limits. We affirm. 3 In November 1987 Daniel Thomas's car collided with a motorcycle ridden by Alan Trujillo. Trujillo was severely injured and sued Thomas in state court. Lengthy, and ultimately unsuccessful, settlement negotiations ensued. Trujillo eventually won a $1,720,829.89 judgment following a bench trial. Thomas died shortly after trial, and his widow assigned Trujillo all her rights arising out of the insurance contract with State…