Nealey Michelle Malham v. Government Employees Insurance Company

**The Dispute** Nealey Michelle Malham sued GEICO after a car accident involving a city vehicle. She claimed that GEICO should pay her under her uninsured motorist coverage because the city vehicle that hit her was "uninsured." Malham argued this constituted a breach of her insurance contract with GEICO. **The Court's Decision** Both the trial court and appeals court ruled in favor of GEICO. The courts determined that the city vehicle was actually insured through the city's self-insurance fund, which legally counts as insurance coverage. Since the vehicle was insured, Malham could not collect uninsured motorist benefits from GEICO. **What This Means for Workers** This ruling clarifies that government vehicles covered by self-insurance funds are considered "insured" for legal purposes. Workers involved in accidents with government vehicles cannot automatically assume they can claim uninsured motorist benefits from their own insurance companies. Instead, they may need to pursue claims against the government entity's self-insurance fund. Workers should understand that self-insurance arrangements provide the same legal protection as traditional insurance policies, which affects how accident claims are handled and which insurance coverage applies.