A common complaint that we hear from people involved in car accidents is that the insurance company is using aftermarket or generic parts to repair their vehicle. For good reason, many people feel like their vehicle does not get properly or safely repaired after a wreck because the insurance company uses these cheap parts. In a win for the little guy, State Farm was nailed with a $1.05 billion judgment in a class action for a long standing practice of using generic parts to repair damaged vehicles. Unfortunately, that judgment was overturned on appeal.
Now come to find out, one of the judges who voted to overturn the judgment against State Farm may have received as much as $4 million of a total of $4.8 million in campaign contributions from State Farm. This judge won election and voted the next year to overturn the judgment against State Farm. A federal judge in Illinois has recently certified a class action that claims that State Farm lied about its financial support of this judicial candidate. The suit claims that State Farm violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act with a scheme to defaud the large class of consumers who obtained this judgment against State Farm.
Read more here: http://www.chron.com/business/article/1-06-billion-judgment-against-State-Farm-reversed-1558396.php