On June 8, 2010, Judge Kevin Culhane of the Sacramento Superior Court issued an order approving a final settlement in Kuppenbender v. California State Automobile Association, a consumer class action filed on behalf of CSAA (also known as "Triple A") automobile insurance policyholders who were wrongfully charged a deductible when they made claims arising from collisions with uninsured motorists or hit and run drivers. Under the terms of the settlement, policyholders who were wrongfully charged the deductible will receive a complete refund of their entire deductible, usually $500 or $1000 and, in some circumstances, 10% interest per year in addition to the deductible.
Noting the results achieved in this case, the Court observed that "Plaintiff's Class benefited from representation by extraordinarily experienced counsel." Brooks Cutter of Kershaw Cutter & Ratinoff served as co-class counsel with Robert Buccola. CSAA has denied any wrongdoing and fought the plaintiffs at every turn, but all sides eventually agreed to a settlement, which provides a remarkable recovery for the class members who were wrongfully charged a deductible by CSAA — 100% of the deductible charged, plus interest for some class members. The total value of the settlement is estimated at around $100 million, and nearly 60,000 claims have already been filed by CSAA policyholders.
Click here to read the Notice of the Settlement for potential class members.