In a recent decision by the Court of Appeals of Georgia, Irish Angela Frey, widow of William Michael Frey, faced a setback in her legal battle against Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. The case revolved around whether a commercial general liability insurance policy issued by Nationwide covered an automobile accident that resulted in William’s death. The trial court had previously ruled in favor of Nationwide, asserting that the policy explicitly excluded coverage for such incidents. Irish appealed this decision, arguing that the exclusion was ambiguous and should be interpreted in her favor. However, the appellate court upheld the trial court’s ruling, agreeing with Nationwide’s interpretation that the policy unambiguously excluded coverage for injuries arising from the use of the insured’s vehicle.
The incident occurred on June 4, 2017, when Michael C. Jesperson struck William’s motorcycle while driving his pickup truck under alleged influence. Following a jury verdict holding Jesperson liable and awarding $1,655,647 to Irish, she sought further compensation from Nationwide under Jesperson’s commercial liability policy. However, Nationwide contended that their policy did not cover auto-related accidents. The court affirmed this position, citing clear language within the policy that excluded such coverage.
Source: A24A0284_IRISH_ANGELA_FREY_et_al_v_NATIONWIDE_MUTUAL_INSURANCE_COMPANY_Opinion.pdf
