Yontz v. State Farm Ins. Co.

── Yontz v. State Farm Ins. Co. ── Court: Ohio Court of Appeals Date: May 15, 2026 Author: Thomas Osowik Category: General [Cite as Yontz v. State Farm Ins. Co., 2026-Ohio-1800.] IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO SIXTH APPELLATE DISTRICT HURON COUNTY Verna L. Yontz, et al. Court of Appeals No. {39}H-25-011 Appellants Trial Court No. CVC 20210489 v. State Farm Insurance Company DECISION AND JUDGMENT Appellee Decided: May 15, 2026 ***** Mark A. Stuckey, for appellants. Michael A. Paglia, for appellee. ***** OSOWIK, J. {¶ 1} Plaintiffs-appellants Verna Yontz, Sabrena Hackathorn, Rachel Herrington, Johnny Hackathorn, and Rustan Herrington (collectively “plaintiffs”) appeal the February 26, 2025 judgment of the Huron County Court of Common Pleas, granting summary judgment in favor of defendant-appellee State Farm Insurance Co. (“State Farm”). For the following reasons, we affirm the trial court’s judgment. I. Background {¶ 2} This case involves underinsured/uninsured motorist (“UM/UIM”) claims arising out of a motor vehicle accident on July 2, 2019, in Norwalk Township. The details of the accident are undisputed—non-party Pamela Sapp struck a vehicle driven by Sabrena Hackathorn with Rachel Herrington and Verna Yontz in the vehicle as passengers. The vehicle was owned by Sabrena’s husband, Johnny Hackathorn. All three women were injured in the accident and taken to Fisher-Titus Medical Center for treatment. {¶ 3} Following the accident, Ms. Hackathorn, Ms. Herrington, and Ms. Yontz each signed a settlement and release agreement with Ms. Sapp and her insurance, Dairyland. According to the agreements, Ms. Hackathorn would receive $25,000, Ms. Herrington would receive $10,000, and Ms. Yontz would receive $7,000. In exchange for the payments, each agreement stated, in relevant part, that the signatory does hereby and for her heirs, executors, administrators, successors, and assigns releases, acquits and forever discharges Odell Holbrook, Pamela Sapp, and Dairyland their agents, servants, employees, successors, heirs, executors, administrators, insurers and all other persons, corporations, firms, associations, or partnerships of and for any claims, actions, causes of actions, demands, rights, damage, costs, loss of services or consortium, expenses, compensation whatsoever, which the undersigned, her heirs, issue, and/or assigns may now have or which may hereinafter accrue on account of or in any way growing out of any and all known and unknown, foreseen and unforeseen bodily and personal injuries, property damage, and the consequences thereof resulting or to result from the accident, casualty, or event which occurred on or about the 2nd day of July, 2019 in the County of Huron, State of Ohio, in the Township of Norwalk, at the intersection of State Route 601 and State Route 61. *** The undersigned agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Odell Holbrook, Pamela Sapp, and Dairyland, their agents, servants, employees, successors, heirs, executors, administrators, insurers and all other persons, corporations, firms, associations, or partnerships in regard to any and all claims of the undersigned, her assigns, servants, successors, heirs, executors, administrators, medical providers or any other persons or entities acting on her behalf, which may be asserted now or in the future and are the 2.  (sic) related to the accident, casualty, or event which occurred on or about the 2nd day of July