
In its recent decision, Brink v. Direct General Ins. Co., 38 F.4th 917 (11th Cir. 2022), the Eleventh Circuit ruled 2-1 that the Florida district court erred when it failed to instruct a jury that an insurer not only owed a duty to settle claims for its insured, but also owed a duty to advise its insured of settlement offers. This case arose from a vehicle incident resulting in serious injuries to the plaintiff, Dustin Brink. Brink later won over $12 million in a lawsuit against the at-fault driver, Juan Ruiz Pereles. To recover the judgment, Brink sued Pereles’ insurer, Direct General Insurance, for bad faith toward Pereles.[1] The jury returned a verdict in Direct General’s favor, but Brink argued…