The Progress of this case will be followed from a
CASE DIARY
in chronological order with links to appropriate documents.
Top of Memorandum on the
Racketeering Nature of State Farm's Misconduct
for which this is an exhibit.
The List of Exhibits
(Exhibit 2)
JUDGMENT
COUNTS II AND III
Counts II and III of plaintiffs Third Amended Class Action Complaint
("Complaint") assert claims under the Illinois Consumer Fraud and
Deceptive Business Practices Act, 815 ILCS 505/1, et seq.
(hereinafter, "Consumer Fraud Act" or "Act") against defendant State
Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company ("State Farm"). Under
Illinois law, these claims must be decided by the court, not the jury.
The bench trial on Counts II and III was conducted separately, but
simultaneously, with the jury trail on Count I.
The Act declares unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive
acts or practices in any trade or commerce to be unlawful. These
include any fraud, misrepresentation or the concealment, suppression
or omission of any material fact, with the intent that others rely on
the concealment, suppression or omission of such material fact, as
well as the use or employment of any practice in Section 2 of the
Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act, 815 ILCS 510/2. Such methods,
acts or practices are unlawful whether any person has in fact been
misled, deceived or damaged.
Where private individual plaintiffs bring suit under the Act, they
must prove, by a preponderance of evidence, (1) a deceptive act or
practice by the defendant; and (2) defendants intent that the
plaintiffs rely on the deception (actual reliance on the part of the
plaintiffs is not required); and (3) the occurrence of the deception
in the course of conduct involving trade or commerce; and (4) damage
to the plaintiffs as a result of defendants violation of the act.
Cripe v. Leiter, 184 III.2d 185 (1998); Malooley v. Alice, 251 III.
App.3d 51 (3rd Dist.1993); 850 ILCS 505/10a(a). If a violation of the
Act is proven, the court may award actual economic damages and "any
other relief, which it deems proper". 850 ILCS 505/10a(a) and (c). In
order to recover, plaintiffs must show that the violation of the Act
directly and proximately caused their injury. Martin v. Heinold, 163
III.2d 33,68 (1994).
Pursuant to 735 ILCS 5/2-805, this judgment, with respect to Counts II
and III, shall be binding on all class members, as certified by the
court pursuant to 735 ILCS 5/2-801 et seq. on December 5, 1997, and
Amendment To Order on February 11,1998, (except those persons listed
on Exhibit "A" hereto, who have been properly excluded from the class
under 735 ILCS 5/2-804(b)), and who come within the following
definition for the purpose of the Consumer Fraud Act claims:
All persons in the United States, except those residing in Arkansas
and Tennessee, who, between July 28,1994, and February 24,1998, (1)
were insured by a vehicle casualty insurance policy issued by
Defendant State Farm and (2) made a claim for vehicle repairs
pursuant to their policy and had non-factory authorized and/or
non-OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) "crash parts" installed
on their vehicles or else received monetary compensation determined
in relation to the cost of such parts. Excluded from the class are
employees of Defendant State Farm, its officers, its directors, its
subsidiaries, or its affiliates.
In addition, the following persons are executed from the class: (1)
persons who resided or garaged their vehicles in Illinois and whose
Illinois insurance policies were issued/executed prior to April 16,
1994, and (2) persons who resided in California and whose polices
were issued/ executed prior to September 26, 1996.
On October 4, 1999, the jury found that State Farm was liable to the
plaintiffs on Count I of plaintiffs Third Amended Class Action
Complaint for breach of contract and returned a verdict in favor of
the plaintiffs in the amount of $243,740,000.00 for class-wide
Specification/Direct Damages and $212,440,000.00 for class-wide
installation Damages. The court, prior to the commencement of the jury
trail on Count I, made the following determinations (which are also
applicable to the courts consideration of Counts II and III):
1. That the contractual obligation of State Farm under its insurance
policies is exactly the same whether State Farm promised to pay
for "crash parts" of "like kind and quality" or promised to pay
for "crash parts" which restore a vehicle to its "pre-loss
condition";
2. That the State Farm insurance policies allow State Farm to specify
and pay for "crash parts" made by the vehicles manufacturer
(Original Equipment Manufacturer, abbreviated OEM) or "crash
parts" from other sources (non-Original Equipment Manufacturer,
abbreviated non-OEM) so long as the "crash parts" are of "like
kind and quality" which restore the damaged vehicle to its
"pre-loss condition",
3. That "crash parts" are of "like kind and quality only if they
restore a vehicle to its "pre-loss condition"; and
4. That " pre-loss condition" means the condition of the vehicle
immediately before the time it is damaged.
This court has presided over this action since its inception and is
familiar with the issues of fact and law it presents. This court has
independently heard, read, and considered all of the admitted evidence
and testimony pertinent to the Consumer Fraud Act claims, including
the evidence and testimony presented to the jury on the breach of
content claim, to the extent relevant, and the evidence and testimony
pertaining solely to the Consumer Fraud Act claims, that was presented
to the court outside the jurys presence. This court has had the
opportunity to consider the documents and materials admitted into
evidence and to observe the demeanor, evaluate the credibility, and
weigh the testimony of the parties fact and opinion witness and the
arguments of counsel.
The court, after considering all the evidence, finds, as did the jury,
that State Farm did breach its contract with the plaintiffs, that the
non-OEM "crash parts" specified and used by State Farm were not of
"like kind and quality" and did not restore plaintiffs vehicle to
their pre-loss condition as required by the insurance contract between
State Farm and the plaintiffs. These findings do not on their own
establish a violation of the Act. The court must now consider whether
the evidence also establishes the elements, set forth above, which are
required to prove a violation of the Consumer Fraud Act.
The plaintiffs allege, under Count II and Count III of the Third
Amended Class Action Complaint, that State Farm violated the Consumer
Fraud Act. The Plaintiffs allegations include, without limitation,
that State Farm installed inferior non-OEM "crash parts" on the
plaintiffs vehicles when it was obligated under its insurance policies
with the plaintiffs to use "crash parts" of "like kind and quality"
which would restore plaintiffs vehicles to their "pre-loss condition"
and that State Farm failed to disclose to plaintiffs that it was using
and paying for cheaper, inferior non-OEM "crash parts" to repair
plaintiffs vehicles.
After considering all the testimony and evidence admitted on trial,
the court finds that the plaintiffs have proven that State Farm
violated the Consumer Fraud Act and that none of the defenses asserted
by State Farm bar plaintiffs right to recover under the Act or reduce
the amount of plaintiffs recovery.
State Farm, prior to and during the class period for Consumer Fraud
Act plaintiffs, knew that the non-OEM "crash parts" it was specifying
on its policyholders repair estimates were not of "like kind and
quality" and would not restore their policyholders vehicles to
"pre-loss condition." State Farms knowledge of the inferiority of the
non-OEM "crash parts" is clearly shown the testimony of witnesses,
State Farms own internal documents, CAPA documents (State Farm was
instrumental in the creation of CAPA. CAPA's stated purpose was to
certify quality non-OEM "crash parts" and State Farm officers and
management served on CAPAs board prior to and during the class period
for Consumer Fraud Act plaintiffs) of which State Farm had knowledge,
and other documents, all of which were admitted into evidence and
appear in the trial court record. Rather than telling its
policyholders of the known problems with the non-OEM "crash parts,"
including possible safety concerns, State Farm chose to adopt and use
on its estimates the misleading term "Quality Replacement Parts," and
to tell its policyholders, in various written documents which were
admitted into evidence, that the parts were as good, or better than,
OEM parts. Further, the written disclosures stamped on or attached to
the repair estimates or which were delivered with the repair
estimates, did nothing to advise the State Farm policyholder of the
inferiority of the parts. Finally, State Farms "Guarantee" improperly
and unfairly placed the burden of securing a quality repair on the
policyholder, not State Farm.
State Farm is a mutual insurance company, which operates for the
benefit of its policyholders. State Farm occupies a position of trust
with its policyholders, who pay the required premiums and are entitled
to receive all the benefits State Farm promises to provide in its
insurance contract with them. State Farm violated this trust. The
court finds that State Farm, in light of its knowledge of the
inferiority of non-OEM "crash parts", misrepresented, concealed,
suppressed or omitted material facts concerning the non-OEM "crash
parts," with the intent that its policyholders rely upon on these
deceptions, in violation of the Consumer Fraud Act. The court further
finds that as a direct and proximate result of State Farms violation
of the Consumer Fraud Act, the plaintiffs were injured and incurred
actual damages; namely the specification/ direct damages and
installation damages which occurred during the class period for
Consumer Fraud Act plaintiffs.
The jury awarded $243,740,000.00 in " Specification/ Direct Damages"
and $212,440,000.00 in "Installation Damages" for the entire plaintiff
class (including the Consumer Fraud Act plaintiffs) under Count I,
which awards include the amounts of specification/ direct damages and
installation damages sustained by the Consumer Fraud Act plaintiffs.
The Consumer Fraud Act plaintiffs cannot recover damages twice and the
court therefore does not award these actual damages for State Farms
violation of the Consumer Fraud Act.
Having found that the plaintiffs sustained "actual damages," the
Consumer Fraud Act allows the court, in its discretion, " to award
actual economic damages or any other relief which the court deems
proper," 815 ILCS 505/10(a), which includes equitable relief,
injunctive relief, punitive damages, reasonable attorneys fees and
court costs. The evidence established that during the Consumer Fraud
Act class period, State Farm realized direct savings from its non-OEM
practice in the amount of $130,000,000.00. The court finds that
equitable relief of imposition of a constructive trust for the benefit
of the Consumer Fraud Act plaintiffs on the $130,000,000.00 State Farm
directly saved from its non-OEM practice is an appropriate remedy for
State Farms violation of the Act. The $130,000,000.00 in this
constructive trust will be disgorged and distributed for the benefit
of the Consumer Fraud Act plaintiffs.
The court has also considered whether punitive damages should be
awarded for State Farms violation of the Consumer Fraud Act. Punitive
damages may be awarded when torts are committed with fraud, actual
malice, deliberate violence or oppression, or when a defendant acts
willfully, or with such gross negligence as to indicated a wanton
disregard of the rights of others. Kelsey v. Motorola, Inc., 74 III.2d
172,186 (1978); Martin, 163 III.2d at 80-81. The court finds that
State Farms conduct and willful violations of the Consumer Fraud Act
satisfy the legal requirements for the imposition of punitive damages
and that punitive damages are justified and should be awarded in this
case.
Punitive damages, when awarded, are in the nature of punishment and as
a warning and example to deter the defendant and others from similar
wrongful conduct in the future. Kelsey, 74 III.2d at 186. A court, in
determining the amount of a punitive damage award, should consider the
nature and enormity of the wrong, the defendants financial status and
the defendants potential liability in other cases. Heldenbrand v. Road
master Corp, 277 III.app3d 664, 674 (5th Dist. 1996). The court has
considered these factors and determines that an award of
$600,000,000.00 in punitive damages is appropriate.
It is clear to the court, given State Farms strong financial
condition, that State Farm can pay the substantial punitive damages
awarded without affecting its ability to pay claims under any
conceivable or foreseeable combination of catastrophes and disasters
for which it currently provides coverage, without affecting the
contractual rights and expectations of any State Farm's millions of
policyholders and without canceling any of the insurance policies of
current policyholders.
The court, under 815 ILCS 505/10a(a), also finds that declaratory
relief, specifically stating the current contractual obligation of
State Farm under its insurance policies is appropriate. The court
hereby finds that the contractual obligation of State Farm under its
insurance policies is exactly the same whether State Farm promises to
pay for "crash parts" of "like kind and quality" or promises to pay
for "crash parts" which restore a vehicle to its "pre-loss condition,"
that the State Farm insurance policies allow State Farm to specify and
pay for "crash parts" made by the vehicles manufacturer (Original
Equipment Manufacturer, abbreviated OEM) or "crash parts" from other
sources (non-Original Equipment Manufacturer, abbreviated non-OEM) so
long as the "crash parts" are of "like kind and quality" which restore
the damaged vehicle to its "pre-loss condition," that "crash parts"
are of "like kind and quality" only if they restore a vehicle to its
"pre-loss condition" and that "pre-loss condition" means the condition
of the vehicle immediately before the time it is damaged.
The last matter, which the court must consider, is whether any
injunctive relief, pursuant to 815 ILCS 505/10a (c), is appropriate.
The requirements for injunctive relief are (1) ascertainable rights in
need of protection, (2) no adequate remedy at law and (3) irreparable
harm absent an injunction. Witter v. Buchanan, 132 III. App.3d 273
(1st Dist. 1985). The court, after much thought, has decided that
injunctive relief is not appropriate. In this case, State Farm has
been ordered to pay money damages for breaching its insurance
contracts and violating the Consumer Fraud Act. Accordingly, it is
clear that an adequate remedy at law is available if State Farm again
breaches its insurance contracts or violates the Consumer Fraud Act or
other law. Injunctive relief cannot be awarded if there is an adequate
remedy at law.
Accordingly, Judgment shall be and is hereby entered in favor of the
plaintiff class and against State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance
Company on Count II and III of plaintiffs Third Amended Class Action
Complaint as follows:
IT IS HEREBY ODERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED:
1. That a constructive trust is imposed for the benefit of the
Consumer Fraud Act plaintiffs on the $130,000,000.00 in direct
savings realized by State Farm from its non-OEM practice during
the Consumer Fraud Act class period, which will be disgorged and
distributed for the benefit of the Consumer Fraud Act plaintiffs.
2. That the Consumer Fraud Act plaintiffs shall recover from
defendant State Farm the further sum of $600,000,000.00 as
punitive damages.
3. That the current contractual obligation of State Farm under its
insurance policies is exactly the same whether State Farm promises
to pay for "crash parts" of "like kind and quality" or promises to
pay for "crash parts" which restore a vehicle to its "pre-loss
condition", that the State Farm insurance policies allow State
Farm to specify and pay for "crash parts" made by the vehicle's
manufacturer (Original Equipment Manufacturer, abbreviated OEM) or
"crash parts" from other sources (non-Original Equipment
Manufacturer, abbreviated non-OEM) so long as the "crash parts"
are of "like kind and quality" which restore the damaged vehicle
to its "pre-loss condition", that "crash parts" are of "like kind
and quality" only if they restore a vehicle to its "pre-loss
condition" and that "pre-loss condition" means the condition of
the vehicle immediately before the time it is damaged.
4. That the court reserves continuing jurisdiction over the Consumer
Fraud Act plaintiffs and State Farm to enforce all provisions of
this judgment and to administer and distribute the common fund
resulting from this judgment among Consumer Fraud Act class
members, based upon appropriate proof of class membership and
claims, to be obtained insofar as is practicable from the records
of State Farm, and augmented, if and as necessary, by documents
and information from class members and their vehicles.
5. That this court reserves continuing jurisdiction over the common
fund resulting from this judgment to consider and award attorneys
fees and costs to class counsel utilizing the fee award criteria
and methodology authorized for class actions by the Illinois
Supreme Court in Brundidge v. Glendale Federal Bank, F.S.B 168
III.2d 235 (1995). This determination shall be made at such time
as the full extent of class counsels efforts in creating,
preserving and making the common fund available for distribution
to the Consumer Fraud Act plaintiff class has been determined.
Entered this 8th day of October, 1999.
John Speroni
Associate Circuit Judge
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Created: February 4, 2000
Last Updated: May 28, 2000