Melissa
Melissa v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co.
Opinion
Lead Opinion
Manella, J.
*400 In the underlying action, appellant Melissa Case asserted claims for breach of insurance contract and bad faith against respondent State Farm Mutual Insurance Company, Inc. (State Farm), and requested an award of punitive damages. The trial court granted summary adjudication in State Farm's favor on each claim and on the request for punitive damages. We affirm.
RELEVANT FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
The following facts are not in dispute: In March 2013, Case was employed by Lawry's Restaurant, and insured under a personal automobile policy issued by State Farm. The policy's uninsured-underinsured motorist (UM) coverage for bodily injury was $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident. On March 29, 2013, while returning to Lawry's Restaurant from an off-site catering location, Case was injured in a car accident involving an uninsured driver. The next day, she sought workers' compensation benefits through her employer's policy and submitted a claim to State Farm under her personal automobile policy. In 2014, after Case submitted a demand for UM policy benefits, State Farm sought verification of a "final lien" relating to medical expenses incurred as workers'…