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New Mexico
CHOICE OF FORUM
| Choice of Law | Admission of Extrinsic Evidence | Insurer Allocation | Pre-Tender Fees | Statute of Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lex loci contractus | Facts known or available to the insurer | If one claim is potentially covered, must defend entire suit | Not Addressed | 6 years |
| Shope v. State Farm Ins. Co., 925 P.2d 515, 517 (N.M. 1996) | Southwest Steel Coil, Inc. v. Redwood Fire & Cas. Ins. Co., 148 P.3d 806, 811 (N.M. Ct. App. 2006) G & G Services, Inc. v. Agora Syndicate, Inc., 993 P.2d 751, 758 (N.M. Ct. App. 1999) (“An insurance company ‘cannot construct a formal fortress of the third party's pleadings and retreat behind its walls. The pleadings are malleable, changeable and amendable. … In light of the … plasticity of modern pleading, we should hardly designate the third party as the arbiter of the policy's coverage.’ Gray v. Zurich Ins. Co., 419 P.2d 168, 176 (Cal. 1966) (en banc).”) | Valley Improvement Ass’n v. USF&G Corp., 129 F.3d 1108, 1116 (10th Cir. 1997) | (N.M. Stat. Ann. § 37-1-3) |
| Pre-Judgment Interest | Late Notice | Public Policy Bar | Independent Counsel | Atty's Fees/Decl. Relief Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No more than 15% annually | Notice-prejudice | Bar to indemnity | Right to separate counsel, unclear on who selects | Recoverable |
| (N.M. Stat. Ann. § 56-8-3) | Roberts Oil Co. v. Transamerica Ins. Co., 833 P.2d 222, 231-34 (N.M. 1992) | New Mexico Physicians Mut. Liab. Co. v. La Mure, 860 P.2d 734, 740 (N.M. 1993) | American Employers’ Ins. Co. v. Crawford, 533 P.2d 1203, 1208 (N.M. 1975) American Employers’ Ins. Co. v. Continental Cas. Co., 512 P.2d 674, 678 (N.M. 1973) | Valley Improvement Ass’n v. Hartford Acc. & Indem. Co., 863 P.2d 1047, 1051 (N.M. 1993) Kelly Inn No. 102, Inc. v. Kapnison, 113 N.M. 231, 245-46 (1992) |