Magistrate Judge Grants Insurer’s Motion To Bifurcate Insurance Bad Faith Claim

Mealey's (September 23, 2016, 12:42 PM EDT) -- ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A federal magistrate judge in New Mexico on Sept. 13 granted an insurer’s motion to bifurcate a bad faith claim in an insurance dispute, ruling that an insured has brought her bad faith failure-to-pay claim against an insurer without first establishing that she is legally entitled to recover damages from an underinsured motorist (UIM) under the terms of an automobile insurance policy (Joann Ortiz v. Safeco Insurance Company of America, No. 16-739, D. N.M.; 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 123718)....