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Welcome
to the Gallagher Insurance Brokerage Antitrust Settlement Website
IMPORTANT DATES & DEADLINES |
| Class Period: |
August 26, 1994 through
December 31, 2005 |
Request Exclusion:
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This deadline has passed |
File an Objection:
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This deadline has passed |
Submit Claim Form:
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This deadline has passed |
Hearing Date:
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July 24, 2007 |
Appeal Oral Argument Hearing:
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April 20, 2009 |
Response to Deficiency Letter:
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This deadline has passed |
Expected Distribution Date:
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Late 2009, Early 2010 |
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This website provides general information on a class action
settlement that affects the rights of all persons who engaged the services of
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (“Gallagher”) or any other Broker Defendant in
connection with the purchase or renewal of insurance or reinsurance from any
insurers during the period from August 26, 1994 through December 31, 2005,
inclusive, you could be entitled to participate in a class action settlement
pursuant to which you would receive monetary relief.
A settlement has been reached between the Plaintiffs and Gallagher (the
“Gallagher Settlement”). Please see the Notice of Proposed Class Action
Settlement, Settlement Hearing and Right to Appear, and Claim Form (“Notice
Packet”) on the link at the left for a listing of all Gallagher Entities,
Broker Defendants and Insurer Defendants.
The Gallagher Settlement, which is subject to Court approval,
has been reached in a class action lawsuit alleging that Gallagher, the Broker
Defendants and the Insurer Defendants violated federal and state antitrust
laws, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, and common law
through (i) practices by which the Insurer Defendants in connection with the
placement and renewal of insurance contracts and (ii) contracts, agreements,
arrangements and understandings about the payment of commissions that are
contingent upon, among other things, Gallagher and the Broker Defendants
placing a particular number of policies or dollar value of premium with the
Insurer Defendants. Gallagher has denied the allegations and denies any and all
liability, but has agreed to a cash Settlement of $28 million dollars, plus
interest.
Gallagher has also agreed to pay all of the costs associated with implementing
and administering the Gallagher Settlement including the cost of disseminating
notice to Settlement Class Members. In addition to the monetary benefit
provided by the Gallagher Settlement, Gallagher has adopted or has agreed to
adopt certain business reforms as more full explained in paragraph 10 of the
Notice Packet. Also, after all of the terms of the Gallagher Settlement had
been agreed to, Gallagher and the Plaintiffs reached an agreement on attorneys’
fees and expenses to be paid by Gallagher in addition to the other benefits
provided by the Gallagher Settlement. Gallagher, subject to the approval of the
Court, has agreed to pay attorneys’ fees and expenses to Class Counsel in an
amount not to exceed $8,850,000.
Settlement
Administrator
Gallagher Insurance Brokerage Antitrust Settlement
c/o Complete Claim Solutions, LLC
P.O. Box 24749
West Palm Beach, FL 33416
Phone Toll-Free: (866) 459-3650
Email: gallagheradmin@completeclaimsolutions.com
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On August 31, 2007, the Court approved the Gallagher Settlement. One objector to the Court’s order approving the Gallagher Settlement has filed an appeal from that order. On April 20, 2009, the appellate court heard argument on the appeal. The Judges took the matter under advisement and have not issued a decision. The proceeds of the Gallagher Settlement cannot
be distributed until the appeal is resolved. It is unknown when this appeal
will be resolved, neither the Settlement Administrator nor Counsel knows the
value of the distribution.
If you are a Settlement Class Member who purchased or renewed a
policy during the period August 26, 1994 through December 31, 2005 where any
related broker, administrative, advisor or claim services were provided by
Gallagher or you purchased or renewed an insurance policy from any insurer
through any of the Broker Defendants, and you want to be considered for a
payment, you should have submitted a Claim Form (see link at left) to the
Settlement Administrator at the address listed in the Notice with a postmark
date no later than November 16, 2008. If you now wish to submit a Claim Form,
you can do so my mailing it to the Settlement Administrator. The Claim Form
will be marked late and there is no guarantee that the Court will accept your
Claim Form.
Settlement Class members had the right to exclude themselves
from the Settlement Class or file an objection to the Settlement. The deadline
to object or request exclusion has passed.
Deficiency letters were mailed on March 9, 2009. A deficiency
letter was mailed to those Claimants that filed Claim Forms and their Claim
Form was missing critical information, making it deficient in some way. If you
received a deficiency letter, please follow the instructions in the letter and
return your response, with the original letter you received, to the Settlement
Administrator. Your response should have been postmarked no later than April 7, 2009.
Please contact the Settlement Administrator if you have any questions.
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