NOT FINAL VERSION OF OPINION
Subsequent Changes at 30 Fla. L. Weekly D235b

29 Fla. L. Weekly D2412a

Insurance — Personal injury protection — Attorney’s fees — Proposal for settlement — Question certified: May an insurer recover attorney’s fees under rule 1.442, Florida Rules of Civil Procedure, and section 768.79, Florida Statutes in an action by its insured to recover under a personal injury protection policy?

KEITH DIAMOND and DEBORAH DIAMOND, Appellants/Cross-Appellees, v. THE AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE COMPANY OF HARTFORD, CT., et al., Appellees/Cross-Appellants. 3rd District. Case No. 3D03-1206. L.T. Case No. 99-20328. Opinion filed October 27, 2004. An Appeal from the Circuit Court for Miami-Dade County, Margarita Esquiroz, Judge. Counsel: Ginsberg & Schwartz and Arnold R. Ginsberg; Simon & Dondero, for appellants/cross-appellees. Hinshaw & Culbertson and Gina Caruso Albanese and Andrew Grigsby and Marissa I. Delinks (Ft. Lauderdale), for appellees/cross-appellants.

(Before GREEN, FLETCHER, and WELLS, JJ.)

(PER CURIAM.) We reverse the trial court’s order which struck The Automobile Insurance Company of Hartford, Ct.’s proposal for settlement. See Nichols v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 851 So. 2d 742 (Fla. 5th DCA 2003); U.S. Security Ins. Co. v. Cahuasqui, 760 So. 2d 1101 (Fla. 3d DCA 2000), rev. dismissed, 796 So. 2d 532 (Fla. 2001). As the First District Court did in Tran v. State Farm Fire & Cas. Co., 860 So. 2d 1000 (Fla. 1st DCA 2003), we certify to the Florida Supreme Court the following question as one of great importance:

MAY AN INSURER RECOVER ATTORNEY’S FEES UNDER RULE 1.442, FLORIDA RULES OF CIVIL PROCEDURE, AND SECTION 768.79, FLORIDA STATUTES IN AN ACTION BY ITS INSURED TO RECOVER UNDER A PERSONAL INJURY PROTECTION POLICY?

Reversed and remanded for further proceedings consistent herewith.