Supreme Court of the United States · Official docket →
Unified Life Insurance Company v. United States Fire Insurance Company
Paid petition · United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, No. 24-10392 · judgment August 14, 2025
Certiorari denied · April 27, 2026
Pre-decision estimate: 2% cert probability
Before the decision, well below the 4.1% base rate, with no standout signals pointing toward a grant.
Question presented
Whether a federal court exercising diversity jurisdiction exceeds its authority under Erie R. Co. v. Tompkins, 304 U.S. 64 (1938) by creating a new state law duty for insurers to provide “objectively reasonable” notice of potential claims to reinsurers when the State’s courts and legislature have not previously recognized such a duty?
Counsel of record
For petitioner
Cortney Christopher Thomas
Brown Fox PLLC
For respondent
Jonathan S. Massey
Massey & Gail LLP
Proceedings
- Apr 27 2026Petition DENIED.
- Apr 08 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 4/24/2026.
- Apr 02 2026Reply of Unified Life Insurance Company not accepted for filing. (To be corrected - April 07, 2026)
- Apr 02 2026Reply of petitioner Unified Life Insurance Company filed. (Corrected) (Distributed)
- Mar 19 2026Brief of respondent United States Fire Insurance Company in opposition filed.
- Feb 17 2026Response Requested. (Due March 19, 2026)
- Feb 04 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 2/20/2026.
- Jan 16 2026Waiver of right of respondent United States Fire Insurance Company to respond filed.
- Dec 08 2025Application (25A665) granted by Justice Alito extending the time to file until January 7, 2026.
- Dec 08 2025Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due January 20, 2026)
- Dec 05 2025Application (25A665) to extend the time to file a petition for a writ of certiorari from December 8, 2025 to February 6, 2026, submitted to Justice Alito.