WENDY BEETLESTONE, District Judge.
The roof of Plaintiffs' house was damaged and needed to be replaced, but when they made a claim on their insurance policy with State Farm and Casualty Company ("State Farm") State Farm denied coverage. Plaintiffs, who are husband and wife, sued on a variety of theories. State Farm has filed a motion to dismiss pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) Plaintiffs' bad faith claim, which they bring pursuant to Pa. Cons. Stat. § 8371, their claim for violation of the Pennsylvania Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law, 71 P.S. § 201-1, et seq. ("CPL"), and their loss of consortium claim.
Plaintiffs, Joan and Alan Groth, put a new roof on their house 13 years ago. Compl. ¶ 7. Since the new roof was installed, although they often went to the attic, id. ¶ 10, they never saw any water problems until, on or about February 4, 2014, when they noticed a watermark on the wall of their upstairs hallway bathroom in their home. Id. ¶ 8. The Groths then looked in their attic and discovered the entire front of the house was saturated and black. Id. ¶¶ 9, 11. Multiple roofers inspected the damage and all said that the house needed a new roof. Id. ¶ 12. Plaintiffs, through their insurance policy, made a claim against State Farm. Id. ¶ 13. After inspection, a State Farm agent told the Groths that the damage was not covered due to "ongoing damage and neglect" of their roof. Id. ¶¶ 13, 15. The Groths appealed this decision, and State Farm again sent out two agents to inspect the damage to the home. Id. ¶ 16. Although State Farm had told the Groths to bring their own roofer, State Farm agents would not allow the roofer to say anything during the inspection. Id. ¶ 17. Following the second inspection, State Farm's employees told the Groths that "improper installation of Plaintiffs' roof allowed for exposure to the elements which resulted in rot, deterioration and mold." Id. ¶ 17. The Groths believe that the State Farm agent "had already made up her mind before she arrived." Id. ¶¶ 15, 17. They also dispute the presence of mold and argue that "simple observation" of the house showed that their roof had "rapidly deteriorated" rather than suffering long term exposure to the elements as State Farm contends. Id. ¶¶ 18-19. The Groths allege that they spent approximately $20,000 to repair their home and that State Farm has refused to pay their claim even though it is covered under the insurance policy. Id. ¶¶ 22, 26.
"To survive a motion to dismiss, a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to `state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.'" Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (quoting Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007)). "A claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged. Id. "`[S]tating . . . a claim requires a complaint with enough factual matter (taken as true) to suggest' the required element. This `does not impose a probability requirement at the pleading stage,' but instead `simply calls for enough facts to raise a reasonable expectation that discovery will reveal evidence of the necessary element.'" Great W. Mining & Mineral Co. v. Fox Rothschild LLP, 615 F.3d 159, 177 (3d Cir. 2010) (quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 556). "In light of Twombly, `it is no longer sufficient to allege mere elements of a cause of action; instead a complaint must allege facts suggestive of [the proscribed conduct].'" Id. (quoting Phillips v. County of Allegheny, 515 F.3d 224, 233 (3d Cir. 2008)). "In other words, `there must be some showing sufficient to justify moving the case beyond the pleadings to the next stage of litigation.'" Id. (quoting Phillips, 515 F.3d at 234-35). That showing cannot be made through conclusions, but requires well-pled factual allegations. Bistrian v. Levi, 696 F.3d 352, 365 (3d Cir. 2012).
Plaintiffs contend that State Farm acted in bad faith in a number of ways: in the manner in which it investigated the damage, by acting in State Farm's interest to the detriment of the Plaintiffs, by improperly construing the insurance policy and by not paying on the claim. Compl. ¶ 30. The Court accepts as true for the purposes of this motion to dismiss the following. One of State's Farms agents initially stopped removal of drywall and when he relented found further damage. Id. ¶ 14-15. That agent, claiming he was an expert—although Plaintiffs imply that he was not—concluded that the roof was not covered because of ongoing damage and neglect. Id. ¶¶ 14-15. State Farm instructed Plaintiffs to bring their own roofer to an inspection but then would not allow their roofer to talk. At that same inspection, a State Farm agent concluded that the damage was not covered because improper installation of the roof had resulted in rot, deterioration and mold—but State Farm never did any cultures or tests to check for mold. Id. ¶¶ 17-19. Other allegations, disagreeing with State Farm's conclusion that the damage to the roof was caused by long term exposure to the elements because the roof had been installed improperly, pronounce that "a simple observation clearly showed that the entire roof rapidly deteriorated in appearance." Id. ¶¶ 17-19. Still more allegations summarily conclude that the claim is "covered under the policy" and that State Farm "has not provided any reasonable justification for refusing to pay the claim. Id. ¶ 26. These allegations, to the extent that they do not simply state legal conclusions (which many of them do) do not contain facts suggestive of proscribed bad faith.
Bad faith in the insurance context is "any frivolous or unfounded refusal to pay proceeds of a policy; it is not necessary that such refusal be fraudulent. For purposes of an action against an insurer for failure to pay a claim, such conduct imports a dishonest purpose and means a breach of a known duty (i.e., good faith and fair dealing), through some motive of self-interest or ill will; mere negligence or bad judgment is not bad faith." Polselli v. Nationwide Mut. Fire. Ins. Co., 23 F.3d 747, 751 (3d Cir. 1994) (quoting Black's Law Dictionary 139 (6th ed. 1990)). There are no concrete facts alleged in the Complaint to show that State Farm's investigating or declining to pay the claim were frivolous or unfounded or that its actions were dishonest or motivated by self-interested or ill will. In short, in its First Amended Complaint, Plaintiffs have not pleaded sufficient facts to plausibly state that State Farm did not have a reasonable basis for denying benefits under the policy and that it knew of or recklessly disregarded its lack of a reasonable basis in denying the claim. Terletsky v. Prudential Prop. & Cas. Co., 649 A.2d 680, 688 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1994). See also Nw. Mut. Life Ins. Co. v. Babayan, 430 F.3d 121, 137 (3d Cir. 2005); UPMC Health Sys. v. Metro. Life Ins. Co., 391 F.3d 497, 505-06 (3d Cir. 2004); Klinger v. State Farm Mut. Ins. Co., 115 F.3d 230, 233-34 (3d Cir. 1997); Dinner v. United Servs. Auto Ass'n Cas. Ins. Co., 29 F. App'x. 823, 827-28 (3d Cir. 2002).
Count Three of Plaintiffs' Amended Complaint is premised on the same allegations set forth above but focuses in on State Farm's refusal to provide coverage, which Plaintiffs alleged is an unfair or deceptive practice under the CPL. State Farm seeks dismissal of this count on the ground that it fails adequately to plead a cause of action for violation of that statute. It is correct. An alleged violation of the CPL by an insurer cannot be based solely on the insurer's decision to deny coverage; some affirmative act of misfeasance is required. Horowitz v. Fed. Kemper Life Assur. Co., 57 F.3d 300, 307 (3d Cir. 1995); Gordon v. Pa. Blue Shield, 548 A.2d 600, 604 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1988). To plead a valid claim for a violation of the CPL, a plaintiff must plead three elements:
Montanez v. HSBC Mort. Corp., 876 F.Supp.2d 504, 519 (E.D. Pa. 2012) (quoting Seldon v. Home Loan Servs., Inc., 647 F.Supp.2d 451, 470 (E.D. Pa. 2010)).
The Groths' complaint does not satisfy these requirements. Even assuming, for the sake of argument, that all the statements by State Farm personnel that the Groths recount actually were deceptive,
Count IV of the Amended Complaint seeks to recover for loss of consortium. A loss of consortium claim arises from the marriage relationship and is grounded in the loss of a spouse's services after injury. Schmoltze v. County of Berks, No. 99-1069, 2000 WL 62600, *9 (E.D. Pa. Jan. 14, 2000). The losses arise from the deprivation of the spouse's society, companionship and consortium after injury. Boarts v. McCord, 511 A.2d 204, 209 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1986). While the Complaint does states that the Plaintiffs are married, Compl. ¶ 3, there are no allegations whatsoever supporting an inference that either of them was personally injured by State Farm's actions. That alone renders their loss of consortium claim untenable. Schmoltze, 2000 WL 62600, at *9 (loss of consortium "derives solely from the injured spouse's right to recover in tort."); Boarts, 511 A.2d at 209 (same). Therefore, their claim for loss of consortium will also be dismissed.
An appropriate Order follows.