When companies get it wrong, they put the safety of countless consumers in jeopardy. When a large group of victims harmed in a similar way come together to bring a case against the same person or company, it is referred to as a “class action.”
Our lawyers have extensive experience in complex class action cases that successfully challenge inappropriate corporate behavior.
The results we’ve delivered speak for themselves. In the banking and insurance class action litigation arena, our experience not only resulted in more than $300 million for thousands of consumers and policy holders, but our lawyers have actively participated in congressional hearings and testified before a state legislature to enact legislation that helped end abusive insurance and predatory lending practices.
Notable Cases
On behalf of a class of Georgia consumers, Roy Barnes and John Salter won class certification and obtained a $12 Million settlement against an insurance company in a suit alleging unfair premium rating practices for group health insurance. American Medical Security v. Parker, 284 Ga. 102 (2008).
Home Data Breach Litigation: In a multidistrict litigation case involving the exposure of personal financial information of more than 40 million customers, Mr. Bevis serves as Liaison Counsel with lead responsibilities for pursuing the consumer case claims in the litigation. Mr. Bevis and his team secured preliminary approval of a $20 million nationwide class action settlement that will compensate class members for out of pocket losses due to fraud, provide free credit monitoring for customers and reform Home Depot’s data security measures. The case is on-going pending final approval of the settlement.
Payday Lending Litigation: Mr. Bevis and his team successfully pursued several class action lawsuits against payday lenders who charged more interest than the law allows. His efforts in this litigation resulted in payday lenders being required to refund up to $44 million in unlawful interest and finance charges on small loans of $500 or less.
Health Insurance Renewal Premium Increase Litigation: A policyholder purchased small group health insurance before he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The company unlawfully increased the premiums because of the diagnosis. Mr. Bevis and his team successfully litigated the case as a class action lawsuit that provided 5,000 Georgia policyholders with refunds of up to $14 million.
Credit Life Insurance Litigation: Homeowner obtained a home refinance loan where the lender included more credit life insurance than was necessary to pay off his mortgage. Mr. Bevis and his team litigated a class action lawsuit that challenged these predatory lending tactics to rob homeowners of the equity in their home. The settlement of the case required the lender to refund homeowners up to $13.5 million for illegal insurance premiums and other charges.