Court grits teeth, says joyrider has insurance

A man excluded from his wife's insurance policy remains eligible for benefits in a drunken crash in Holland nearly three years ago, thanks to a line of court decisions that covers joyriders from the same family. The state appeals court on Wednesday reluctantly overturned a ruling from an Ottawa County judge and said two Grand Rapids hospitals can be reimbursed for the care of Ryan DeYoung.

AP Wire

May 26, 2011

In September 2008, DeYoung was intoxicated when he took his wife’s Bravada without permission and was in a crash near the Tulip City Airport. He was specifically excluded from her insurance.

But the appeals court said a line of cases beginning in 1992 at the Michigan Supreme Court grants coverage to joyriding family members of the insured. The three-judge panel said it doesn’t agree, but it must follow legal precedent.