Bad News/Good News: Two consumer/insurance class actions…

1) Three-years of litigation, three-week trial, one day’s jury deliberation: Plaintiffs zeroed…

In a long and certainly hard-fought class action battle against Allianz Life Ins. Co. of Golden Valley, plaintiffs, led by Karl Cambronne came up empty-handed. Allianz was repesented by a phalanx of lawyers from Jordan Burt, which focuses on insurance and financial services.

2) It isn’t over ’til it’s over (and it might still not be over even then…)

In a long-running premium-refund related consumer/insurance class action, Hennepin County District Court Judge Ivy Bernhardson bounced the plaintiffs on res judicata grounds. Today, the Minnesota Court of Appeals reversed. “We conclude that the traditional requirements for privity based on adequate representation of a nonparty are not met in this case,” the Court of Appeals held, reversing summary judgment for Defendant Central States Health & Life Company of Omaha. Crowder & Teske (and solo Eric Valen) represent the putative class; Lew Remele and Kevin Hickey, of Bassford Remele, are counsel for the defendant/unhappy respondent.