NEW HEIGHTS FARM I, LLC; a Michigan limited liability company, STACY BOERSEN; NEW HEIGHTS FARM II, LLC, a Michigan limited liability company; NICHOLAS BOERSEN v. GREAT AMERICAN INSURANCE COMPANY; FEDERAL CROP INSURANCE CORPORATION; UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE - Articles

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Posted by: Tanja Trezise on Oct 15, 2024

Court: 6th Circuit Court (Published Opinions)

Attorneys 1: ON BRIEF: Ronald J. VanderVeen, CUNNINGHAM DALMAN, PC, Holland, Michigan, for Appellants.

Attorneys 2: ON BRIEF: Thomas C. James, Jr., SANDERS & ASSOCIATES, LPA, Cincinnati, Ohio, for Appellee

Attorneys 3: ON BRIEF: Laura A. Babinsky, UNITED STATES ATTORNEY’S OFFICE, Grand Rapids, Michigan, for Federal Appellees.

Judge(s): SUTTON, Chief Judge; READLER and BLOOMEKATZ, Circuit Judges

Court Appealed: United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan at Grand Rapids

SUTTON, Chief Judge. Nicholas and Stacy Boerson submitted crop insurance claims to Great American Insurance Company after a disappointing corn and soybean harvest. When the insurer declined to cover the claims until the resolution of a federal fraud investigation, they sued for breach of contract, bad faith adjustment, and violations of Michigan and federal insurance laws. We affirm the district court’s dismissal of all of the claims, some of them due to lack of subject matter jurisdiction, others due to a binding arbitration clause.