Maryland Court of Appeals Holds that Release of a Tortfeasor Does Not Release an Uninsured Motorist Claim
On March 18, 2007, Ember Buckley was a passenger in a vehicle operated by her then boyfriend, Harvey Betts. The vehicle was involved in a single vehicle accident. Ms. Buckley was injured and incurred medical bills exceeding $200,000. Mr. Betts’ liability insurance carrier, GEICO, offered to settle Ms. Buckley’s claim against Mr. Betts for the $100,000 liability policy limits. Since the GEICO policy limits were not enough to cover her medical bills, Ms. Buckley made a claim for uninsured/underinsured (“UM”) motorist coverage against her own insurer, The Brethren Mutual Insurance Company. Brethren’s UM policy had limits of $300,000, which afford…