Stolen Vehicle Precludes PIP Claim
The Michigan Court of Appeals has ruled that a person was not entitled to recover personal protection insurance (PIP) benefits where the PIP claimant was driving a vehicle which she took without permission of the vehicle owner.
In this case, the plaintiff was staying at a friend’s house. The plaintiff received a call from her mother that her chest hurt and she needed an ambulance. Therefore, the plaintiff took her friend’s vehicle without asking permission. The plaintiff did not have a driver’s license. She was then involved in a motor vehicle accident.
The Court of Appeals reasoned that just because the plaintiff had a family emergency, this did not give her permission to simply take her friend’s vehicle at the time of the accident. There was no question of fact that the plaintiff knew she had taken her friend’s vehicle without permission. The Court of Appeals applied the language of MCL §500.313 (a).
Read entire case at:
Swope v Citizens Insurance
About Alexander & Angelas, P.C.
Attorney Peter A. Angelas represents litigants in complex, high severity civil liability litigation across Michigan. His practice areas include automobile and trucking negligence claims, insurance litigation, premises liability, motor carrier liability, commercial litigation, construction defect litigation, insurance coverage disputes, emergency casualty response services, alternative dispute resolution, subrogationclaims, workers’ compensation, employment law, and marine liability.
Mr. Angelas practices in all state and federal courts in Michigan, including WayneCounty (Detroit), Macomb County (Mount Clemens), Oakland County (Pontiac),Washtenaw County (Ann Arbor), and Genesee County (Flint).
A 24/7 Emergency Hotline is available (800-219-0007). When an accident requires an immediate response to protect evidence, members of the firm quickly launch aninvestigation with the assistance of well-qualified accident investigators, crash re-constructionists, mechanical engineers, civil evidence photographers, and independent adjusters positioned throughout Michigan.
