Vaskie v. West American Insurance Co.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania
556 A.2d 436 (1989)
After a January 1985 car accident, West American Insurance Co. (defendant) sent Anne Marie Vaskie's (plaintiff) attorney a $25,000 settlement offer in December 1986 without specifying when the offer would expire; Vaskie's attorney accepted on January 9, 1987. West American refused to pay, arguing the statute of limitations on Vaskie's underlying claim had run on January 1, 1987, before acceptance. Vaskie sued for breach of the settlement agreement, and both parties moved for summary judgment; the trial court ruled for Vaskie and awarded $25,000, and West American appealed, arguing either it should have prevailed as a matter of law, or that factual issues precluded summary judgment for Vaskie.
Whether the question of what is a reasonable time for acceptance can be determined at law if there is no question as to the proper answer.