Judge Denies Severence Motions in Two Post-Koken Cases

(Pennsylvania Law Weekly)—In two post-Koken cases, a Luzerne County judge has refused to sever the tort and underinsured motorist claims for trial. The decision follows a unanimous Luzerne County bench on the issue, according to court filings from the plaintiffs in the two unrelated cases. In both cases — Loefflad v. Nauks and Price v. Price — the tortfeasors argued that a joint trial against them for negligence and against the plaintiff’s respective UIM insurer would be unduly prejudicial because the trial would then necessarily include evidence related to insurance coverage.