State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company Missouri Cases

Tim Johnson was involved in an automobile collision with an uninsured motorist and sought uninsured motorist (UM) coverage from State Farm under three separate policies. State Farm paid the UM limit under the policy for the vehicle involved in the accident but reduced coverage on two other policies, citing an owned-vehicle exclusion. Johnson sued for breach of contract and vexatious refusal to pay, arguing the exclusion was inapplicable, ambiguous, and against public policy. The trial court granted summary judgment for State Farm, and the appellate court affirmed, finding the exclusion unambiguous and consistent with Missouri law and public policy.

Mandie Brown sued State Farm for breach of contract, seeking full uninsured motorist (UM) coverage from four separate automobile policies after being injured by an uninsured driver. The trial court granted summary judgment for State Farm, enforcing a UM coverage exclusion that limited recovery on three of the policies to the statutory minimum. The appellate court affirmed, holding that the UM coverage exclusion unambiguously applied and the relevant policy language defining "Your Car," "You or Your," and "Car" was clear and unambiguous when read in harmony with the entire policy.