Harrison v. MFA Mutual Insurance Co.’s Empirical Analysis
1980
Citation profile
6 federal appellate · 93 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 114 later decisions — most recently April 2017 · most notably Hughes v. Whitmer (1983), Wolff Shoe Co. v. Director of Revenue (1988)
6 federal appellate · 93 state decisions
Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.
Relationships
Relies on National Ass'n for the Advancement of Colored People v. Federal Power Commission · Stephens v. Allied Mutual Insurance Company · 49 Ill. 2d 449 - Barnes v. Powell · Rodman v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. · Bacchus v. Farmers Insurance Group Exchange
Most-quoted passages
The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 114 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“[This policy] MFA (Harrison) Coverage Clause: Allstate will pay for damages ... which an insured person is legally entitled to recover from the owner ... of an uninsured auto. Injury must be caused by accident and arise out of the ownership, maintenance or use of an uninsured auto. MFA will pay ... All sums which the insured or his legal representative shall be legally entitled to recover as damages from the owner or operator of an uninsured highway vehicle. Insured Person: The insured, (Donald Viessman, deceased) and any resident relative (Plaintiff, Dorothy Viess-man). N/A Owner: Donald Viessman, deceased N/A Uninsured Auto: ... (3) A motor vehicle for which the insurer denies coverage, or the insurer becomes insolvent. (No similar provision) Insurer Not defined. N/A Exclusions: Not applicable. (Does not have an exclusion similar to MFA’s in Harrison) An uninsured highway vehicle is defined to exclude an insured automobile or highway vehicle furnished for the regular use of the named insured, his spouse or a relative.”
3 later decisions quote this exact passage“"Where language in an insurance contract is unequivocal, it is to be given its plain meaning notwithstanding the fact that it appears in a restrictive provision of a policy ... `[T]he courts are not authorized to pervert language or exercise inventive powers for the purpose of creating an ambiguity when none exists.'... We refuse to create an ambiguity under the policy language where none exists so as to construe the imaginary ambiguity in such a way to reach a result which some might consider desirable but which is not otherwise permissible under the policy or the law."”
3 later decisions quote this exact passage“INSURING AGREEMENT A. We will pay compensatory damages which an “insured” is legally entitled to recover from the owner or operator of an “underinsured motor vehicle” because of “bodily injury”: 1. Sustained by an “insured”; and 2. Caused by an accident. The owner’s or operator’s liability for these damages must arise out of the ownership, maintenance or use of the “underinsured motor vehicle”.”
3 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the dissent
How this case has been treated — in progress
Whether each later court followed, distinguished, criticized, or overruled this decision. The treatment classification (task #35) runs highest-cited cases first and lights up here as it reaches this one.