(Download) "Jeffrey G. Benke and Kathy Benke v." by Court of Appeals of Wisconsin # Book PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Jeffrey G. Benke and Kathy Benke v.
- Author : Court of Appeals of Wisconsin
- Release Date : January 22, 1982
- Genre: Law,Books,Professional & Technical,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 65 KB
Description
An insurance company debated the stable owners' claim for windstorm damage, claiming the collapse of the owners' building was due, instead, to snow. The stable owners sued, and a jury found that wind caused the damage, thus making the insurer responsible for coverage. The stable owners further claimed that the insurance company had failed to exercise proper care in investigating the claim. The jury agreed, found bad faith and also awarded punitive damages. We affirm the findings of coverage and bad faith but reverse the finding of punitive damages. The stable owners cross-appeal, claiming prejudgment interest should have been awarded by the trial court. We agree and reverse that part as well. The initial dispute concerns whether the insurance company owed coverage at all. The first subissue is a claim by Mukwonago-Vernon Mutual Insurance Company (Mukwonago) that there was insufficient evidence to show wind damage as causing the collapse. We disagree. Before recitation of the evidence, we find it necessary to underscore that we must view the evidence in a light most favorable to the verdict. Bergmann v. Insurance Co. of North America, 49 Wis. 2d 85, 87-88, 181 N.W.2d 348, 350 (1970). We make this statement because appellant disgorges its own brand of the facts in its brief. Although we do not doubt the sincerity of appellants' view of the facts, we cannot accept that version but must look at evidence which, under any reasonable view, supports the verdict and removes the question from the realm of conjecture. Coryell v. Conn, 88 Wis. 2d 310, 315, 276 N.W.2d 723, 726 (1979).