BUSINESS
August 19, 2005 | Myron Levin, Times Staff Writer
The Illinois Supreme Court on Thursday overturned a $1-billion fraud and breach-of-contract verdict against State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co., ruling that an 8-year-old case challenging use of generic parts in collision repairs should not have been tried as a class action.
BUSINESS
January 11, 2005 | Lisa Girion, Times Staff Writer
State Farm Insurance Cos. agreed to pay $135 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that it failed to pay overtime to 2,600 claims adjusters in California. The settlement, approved Monday by a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge, is the latest multimillion-dollar payout in a wave of white-collar overtime lawsuits in California, where the laws governing this area are stricter than in other states.
BUSINESS
December 1, 2000 | LIZ PULLIAM WESTON
Insurance experts say consumers can reduce their auto insurance bills by picking safer cars. The problem is that nobody seems to be able to agree about what exactly constitutes "safer." The issue was underscored this week when State Farm Insurance announced it was replacing its automatic discount for air bags with a new discount that would be based on a vehicle's safety record. The price break applies only to the medical coverage portion of an automobile policy.
NEWS
November 21, 2000 | VIRGINIA ELLIS, TIMES STAFF WRITER
Arguing that former state Insurance Commissioner Chuck Quackenbush acted illegally, California Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer asked the courts Monday to throw out agreements that allowed insurance companies to donate to foundations rather than face fines for mishandling Northridge earthquake claims.
NEWS
June 13, 2000 | VIRGINIA ELLIS, TIMES STAFF WRITER
State Senate leaders Monday released confidential state reports showing that three of the nation's largest insurance companies--20th Century, State Farm and Allstate--mishandled hundreds of claims following the Northridge earthquake. Sen. Martha Escutia (D-Whittier) said she was taking the unusual step of disclosing confidential documents because it was the only way to make public how companies had treated their policyholders after the 1994 disaster.
NEWS
June 7, 2000 | VIRGINIA ELLIS and MIGUEL BUSTILLO, TIMES STAFF WRITERS
Public funds from a foundation created by California Insurance Commissioner Chuck Quackenbush were spent on a political poll that tested his popularity and that of other state politicians, evidence presented Tuesday to a state Assembly committee shows. The existence of the $100,000 poll, conducted earlier this year by prominent Republican consultant Joe Shumate, was the most explosive revelation to surface at the opening of three days of hearings that could lead to Quackenbush's impeachment.