Supreme Court rules for policyholder in Geico case

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- The Supreme Court ruled that Geico didn't have the right to force a policy holder to answer questions under oath before paying a personal injury claim.

The ruling Thursday applies to a 2008 case in which the insurance company didn't pay a claim submitted by Merly Nunez, who challenged a provision in her policy that stated she must submit to an examination under oath if requested.

Since then, Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill into law that states insurance companies can require policy holders to submit to interviews by the company's insurance adjusters or lawyers.

But the court said the 2012 law isn't retroactive and doesn't apply to this case. It didn't address the applicability of the new law.