McNeeley v. Pacific Employers, Unpublished Decision (6-10-2003)

**McNeeley v. Pacific Employers - Employment Insurance Coverage Dispute** This case involved a dispute over insurance coverage for an employee who was injured in a car accident while working. McNeeley, who worked for Wendy's International, was hurt in a vehicle accident during his employment. The question was whether his employer's insurance policies would cover his injuries as an underinsured motorist claim. The Ohio appeals court issued a split decision. McNeeley won part of his case - the court ruled that the company's business auto insurance policy must provide underinsured motorist coverage automatically under state law. However, he lost on another part of his claim. The court agreed with Pacific Employers (the insurance company) that the company's general liability insurance policy did not have to provide additional underinsured motorist coverage. This ruling matters for workers because it clarifies that employees injured in car accidents while on the job may have access to underinsured motorist benefits through their employer's business auto insurance, even if those benefits aren't explicitly stated in the policy. However, workers shouldn't expect multiple layers of underinsured motorist coverage from different company insurance policies. Understanding your employer's insurance coverage can be important if you're injured while driving for work.