Registration of Vehicle in Michigan Required Michigan No Fault Insurance
Plaintiff filed a third-party bodily injury claim arising from a Michigan motor vehicle accident. Plaintiff was a resident of Georgia. However, she was driving a vehicle that she owned which was registered in Michigan. The MVA occurred in Michigan.
The Trial Court dismissed the Plaintiff’s bodily injury claim against the Defendant tortfeasor after finding that Plaintiff had failed to have the correct Michigan no-fault coverage in place on the accident. Michigan has a “no pay, no play” rule. A claimant cannot maintain bodily injury claims arising from a motor vehicle accident if, at the time of loss, he or she was operating a motor vehicle he or she owned which failed to maintain Michigan no-fault auto insurance.
On appeal, the summary disposition was affirmed. A Plaintiff’s residence, Georgia in this case, does not control what auto insurance is required in Michigan. A vehicle’s registration is used to determine whether no-fault insurance coverage was required. This is pursuant to MCL 500.3101 (1). This case will be published by the Michigan Court of Appeals.
Click on the link to read the entire case: Epps v United Serv. Auto Ass’n.
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Alexander & Angelas, P.C. represents defendants in civil liability litigation across Michigan and Northern Ohio. The firm’s practice areas include insurance defense litigation, premises liability, motor carrier (trucking) defense, corporate and commercial litigation, construction defect litigation, auto negligence, insurance coverage disputes, emergency casualty response services, alternative dispute resolution, subrogation claims, workers’ compensation, employment law, and liquor liability.
Attorneys practice in all state and federal courts in Michigan, including Wayne County (Detroit), Macomb County (Mount Clemens), Oakland County (Pontiac), Washtenaw County (Ann Arbor), and Genesee County (Flint). Legal services are also provided in Northern Ohio. Since its founding in 1992, the firm has litigated over 4,000 civil cases.
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