Court holds named driver not entitled to notice of non-renewal

Taevin Johnson was a named driver, but not the "Named Insured" on an auto policy his mother purchased for his car and her car.  He accumulated six points on his driving record and Metlife Auto & Home sent his mother a notice of non-renewal 33 days before the end of the policy.  He was then hurt in a wreck and accumulated what the Court of Appeals described as "staggering" medical bills.

Johnson sued the auto insurer, arguing that under the statute requiring that an insured receive notice of non-renewal, MetLife did not legally and properly cancel his coverage.  The Court rejected his argument and upheld summary disposition.  It pointed out that the statute has been interpreted to require that the notice of termination or non-renewal only go to one "Named Insured" in any household of related insureds.  It was irrelevant that a named driver didn't get a separate notice because the policy dictated that a notice would go to only one Named Insured.  It was also deemed irrelevant that Johnson's mother claimed not to have received the notice.