Federal Western District Court Puts the Brakes on Evidence of Certain Insurance Matters in a Post-Koken Case

In the Post-Koken federal court case of Binotto v. Geico, No. 3:22-CV-210 (W.D. Pa. May 30, 2025 Haines, J.), the court granted the Defendant UIM carrier’s Motion In Limine to preclude evidence of the UIM limits or premium paid at the trial of a post-Koken matter. 

The court addressed the argument of whether such evidence is relevant in a post-Koken trial. Included in that assessment was whether or not the probative value of such evidence was substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice or confusing of the issues presented. In this regard, the court cited to Federal Rules of Evidence 401, 402, and 403.

The court in this Binotto matter stated that its research revealed that the courts in Pennsylvania are split on this issue. This court noted that it was choosing to follow the case of Lucca v. Geico Ins. Co., 2016 WL 3632717 (E.D. Pa. July, 2016) and its progeny. 

Relying upon that case law, the Binotto court held that the “limits and premiums of Geico’s insurance policy offered no benefit to fact finder’s determinations of the value of Plaintiffs’ injuries.”

As such, the court ruled that evidence of the carrier’s policy limits and premiums paid were irrelevant. 

The court additionally held that, even if such evidence was somehow found to be relevant to the injury and damages assessments, any probative value of such evidence was substantially outweighed by the risk of unfair prejudice to the Defendant carrier.

Anyone wishing to review a copy of this decision may click this LINK.

I send thanks to Attorney Joseph A. Hudock, Jr. of the Pittsburgh office of the law firm of Summers, McDonnell, Hudock, Guthrie & Rauch, P.C. for bringing this case to my attention.

Source of image:  Photo by Instawalli on www.pexels.com.