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Board denies insurer's request to recover payments after sheriff's vehicle crash
Summary
Washington County supervisors unanimously voted to deny a subrogation claim from USAA General Indemnity seeking reimbursement for payments made to an insured after a sheriff's-office vehicle accident. County staff cited sovereign immunity and the officer being on duty as the basis for the recommendation to deny.
The Washington County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to deny a subrogation claim filed by an insurer seeking repayment for amounts it paid after a crash that involved a county sheriff’s vehicle.
Mr. Snodgrass, speaking for county staff, told the board the county received a letter from a Texas law firm representing USAA General Indemnity asking the county to reimburse the insurer for payments it made to its insured. “We received a letter from a law firm in Texas that represents USAA general indemnity and they were asking basically the county to pay them back what they had paid for their insured,” Snodgrass said. Staff recommended the board deny the claim.
Staff explained the matter as a subrogation request — the insurer paid the claimant’s vehicle repair and is now seeking repayment — and said the application of sovereign immunity and court analysis turns on whether the employee was acting within the scope of employment at the time of the accident. Staff stated that the county employee involved was on duty and the sheriff’s office’s position on sovereign immunity formed the basis for the recommendation to deny.
Following brief questions from supervisors about the insurance details and whether the county or the insurer had paid, a supervisor moved to deny the claim. The board voted to deny the claim, recorded as 7-0.
The recorded action denies the insurer’s request for reimbursement; no additional payments to the insurer were authorized in the meeting record.
