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Firm News

Passenger in stolen vehicle is ‘covered’

Passengers in stolen cars who are unaware the vehicles are being driven without the owner’s permission may collect PIP and UIM insurance if they’re injured in an automobile accident, the Appellate Division has ruled. In Hardy v. Abdul-Martin, the appeals court reversed a grant of summary judgment to an insurance company that denied coverage in such a circumstance under an exclusion in the insurance contract. The court said, “A passenger cannot be expected to inquire upon entry into a vehicle, as to the status of the car and driver, unless existing facts place the passenger on notice that the use of the car is questionable.”

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