American Family Mutual Insurance Company Missouri Cases

Farzad Qureshi sued American Family Mutual Insurance Company for uninsured motorist (UM) benefits and vexatious refusal to pay after a hit-and-run accident. A jury found in favor of Qureshi on both counts, awarding UM damages, vexatious refusal damages, and attorney's fees. American Family appealed, challenging the sufficiency of evidence for vexatious refusal and several evidentiary rulings. The appellate court affirmed the trial court's judgment on all points and granted Qureshi's motion for attorney's fees on appeal.

Robert Sharon appealed a declaratory judgment in favor of American Family Mutual Insurance Company, which had found no duty to defend or indemnify its insureds (the Schwenzers) against Sharon's claims of negligent misrepresentation and unlawful merchandising practices related to water damage in a home he purchased from them. The appellate court reversed and remanded, concluding that Sharon's claim for post-sale water damage resulting from negligent misrepresentation could constitute a covered "occurrence" under the homeowners' policy. The court further found that the trial court erred in applying the owned-property, expected-or-intended, and contract-liability exclusions to bar coverage for this specific claim, thus establishing American Family's duty to defend.

Homeowners Robert W. and Stacia A. Cockerham and their insurer, American Family Mutual Insurance Company, filed cross-motions for summary judgment. The dispute concerned coverage under a homeowner's insurance policy for losses related to the construction of a celestial observatory addition to their residence. Specifically, the homeowners sought coverage for damage to a newly-installed telescope support system, the home's foundation, and loss of use of the observatory.