It started as an everyday lawsuit by some policyholders unhappy with their insurance company for choosing cheap repair parts. But the case turned anything but ordinary. First it grew into a nationwide class action, encompassing 4.7 million customers and a billion-dollar verdict. Then it expanded into a 20-year litigation nightmare for State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. and one of its in-house counsel.
For a fight that started over a few thousand dollars’ worth of car parts, so much more is now at stake. The policyholders’ latest suit alleges violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). And it accuses State Farm, its in-house counsel and a co-conspirator of manipulating the election of an Illinois Supreme Court justice.
