5th Circuit Affirms Judgment for General Contractor in Bad Faith Suit

NEW ORLEANS - A federal appeals court has affirmed summary judgment for a general contractor accused of bad faith for disputing a workers' compensation claim filed by a subcontractor. Bullock v. Gottfried Corp., No. 10-60294 (5th Cir.).

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the decision in favor of Gottfried Corp., on Dec. 9, saying that Gottfried had an arguable defense even though it was eventually ordered to pay the claim.

Jimmy Bullock, a sheet metal subcontractor, was injured in November 1996 while working on a job for Gottfried. Bullock filed a claim for workers' compensation benefits under Gottfried's policy, …