State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company v. Lonnie Dale Riggs

Summary

Justice Noble concurred in the Chief Justice's opinion, reasoning that State Farm's contractual two-year limitation period for an underinsured-motorist claim was reasonable because State Farm expressly agreed to be joined before its payment obligation was fully established and waived any prematurity objection. The concurrence emphasized that the provision benefited both State Farm and its insured by permitting early participation and potentially reducing litigation risks and premiums. Justice Keller, dissenting, would have held the limitation unenforceable because it could require suit before a UIM claim or contractual breach existed.