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Judicial Praise - Insurance & Financial Products & Services Practice Group | Berger & Montague, P.C.

Berger & Montague has been recognized by federal judges for its work in the field of insurance class action litigation.

Our experienced attorneys in our Insurance & Financial Products & Services Group have been singled out and praised by federal courts for their ability to develop, guide and settle extremely large and complex insurance and financial products and services class actions. For example, the Honorable Janet C. Hall recently recognized the extraordinary work of Berger & Montague shareholders Peter R. Kahana and Steven L. Bloch as co-lead counsel in Spencer v. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., an insurance class action on behalf of approximately 22,000 claimants in which the United States District Court on September 21, 2010 granted final approval of a $72.5 million cash settlement:

"[T]he quality of the representation provided to the plaintiffs ... in this case has been consistently excellent.... [T]he defendant[s] ... mounted throughout the course of the five years the case pended, an extremely vigorous defense.... [B]ut for counsel's outstanding work in this case and substantial effort over five years, no member of the class would have recovered a penny.... [I]t was an extremely complex and substantial class ... case ... [with an] outstanding result." Spencer v. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., 3:05-cv-1681 (D. Conn. 2010).

In addition, the Honorable Tanya Walton Pratt recently recognized the work of Berger & Montague shareholders Peter R. Kahana and Steven L. Bloch, together with their co-class counsel, in a July 1, 2011 Order denying the Motion for Summary Judgment by Defendants Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. and Anthem, Inc. (now known as WellPoint, Inc.) to dismiss the plaintiffs' tort claims in Ormond v. Anthem, Inc., an insurance class action on behalf of approximately 740,000 former policyholder seeking damages for defendants' breach of duty in connection with the demutualization of Anthem Insurance and the related initial public offering of stock in its parent, Anthem, Inc.:

"To put it mildly, this dispute has been zealously litigated by both sides.  The quality of the work has been impressive, and the sheer quantity of the motions practice has been astonishing….This lawsuit is being litigated by very qualified attorneys on each side….[and] [e]ach side has filed motions at a relentless pace at every conceivable fork in the read." Ormond v. Anthem, Inc., 1:05-cv-01908 (S.D. Ind. 2011) Dkt. #446, at 4, 17.

No Fees Without Recovery

Berger & Montague insurance and financial products and services cases are often litigated on a contingent fee basis, so plaintiffs and the class do not pay attorneys' fees or court costs unless there is a recovery.

Contact Us To Learn More

We invite you to learn more about our Insurance & Financial Products & Services Group. Berger & Montague welcomes referrals from other law firms and attorneys. For more information or to schedule a confidential discussion about a potential case, please fill out the Contact Form on the right, email us at info@bm.net, or contact an Insurance & Financial Products & Services Group shareholder. We are available to evaluate potential insurance and financial products and services cases without charge.