Fifty-five attorneys representing various national insurers showed up at a Sept. 11 hearing in Orlando to defend their clients in a consolidated lawsuit filed by body shops from around the country, according to anarticle in the Orlando Sentinel.
Hundreds of collision shops from around the country are suing roughly 80 insurance companies for short-pays. Companies involved include State Farm, Allstate, Geico and Progressive.
State Farm has denied liability in its large-scale Florida case, while the other aforementioned companies have filed motions to dismiss their cases.
The hearing primarily focused on introducing court staff and attorneys to each other. Thirteen collision repairers, including Ray Gunder of Lakeland, Fla., were also in attendance.
The court decided to combine the numerous lawsuits in order to better streamline the hearing process. Attorneys representing the body shops say they expect 20 to 25 more cases to be filed in the near future.
More information:
Pennsylvania Meeting Set to Discuss National Lawsuit, PartsTrader
Florida Collision Repairers Re-File Lawsuit Against 39 Insurers
