PCI URGES REVERSAL:

The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) is urging the Mississippi Supreme Court to reverse a lower court decision that mandates insurance companies to provide coverage for punitive damages in automobile insurance policies. In the case of Shelter Insurance Cos. v. George Dale, the Department of Insurance (DOI) prohibited Shelter Insurance Cos. from excluding coverage for punitive damages in the liability portion of automobile policies based on an opinion issued by the state attorney general. The DOI’s action was challenged and the Chancery Court of Hinds County ruled against Shelter. Around the country, 30 states provide insurers with the option of covering or excluding punitive damages; 15 states, including the District of Columbia, say that insurance can not cover punitive damages.