Welcome to the Hartford Structured Settlement Class Action informational website.
CURRENT INFORMATION YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE HARTFORD
STRUCTURED SETTLEMENT CLASS ACTION
Distribution payments have been sent to class members. If you need to update your mailing address and contact information, you can do so here. If you have further questions, or require additional information, you can call the Claims Administrator, toll-free, at 1-800-951-2135, or you may contact Class Counsel directly.
On September 21, 2010, Judge Hall entered judgment in this action, which granted final approval to the settlement and plan of allocation, and which awarded fees and expenses to Class Counsel and compensation payments to the class representatives. The Court subsequently ordered that distribution payments may be made to settlement class members, and the Initial Distribution was conducted in December 2010. If you are a settlement class member and did not previously exclude yourself from this lawsuit, you were entitled to receive a payment.
On September 27, 2018, the Court approved Class Counsel’s Motion for Orders Authorizing Final Distributions and Payment of Administration Fees and Disbursements, and a Second Distribution was subsequently conducted on November 6, 2018 to Settlement Class Members who negotiated their Initial Distribution payment and would receive a check for at least $10.00.
If you need to update your mailing address and contact information, you can do so here. You should periodically check the website for further updates. If you have further questions, or require additional information, you can call the Claims Administrator toll-free, at 1-800-951-2135, or you may contact Class Counsel directly.
Subject to final Court approval, a settlement has been reached in Spencer et al. v. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. et al., Case No. 3:05-cv-1681 (JCH). This web site supplies information about the litigation and the proposed settlement, and provides links to relevant documents to view, print and/or download.
This lawsuit alleges that the Defendants defrauded class members out of the full amount of the structured settlements the Hartford property and casualty insurance companies agreed to pay to settle personal injury and workers' compensation claims by providing class members with structured settlements worth 15% less than their promised cost or value, and fraudulently retaining the 15% for themselves. The Defendants deny that they did anything wrong or unlawful, and contend that they did not wrongfully retain 15% or any other amounts owed to class members.
The Defendants agreed to pay $72,500,000 ($72.5 million) into a settlement fund to settle this lawsuit, to be divided among eligible class members after payment of the costs of administering the proposed settlement and payment of any Court-approved attorneys' fees and expenses and any compensation payments to the class representatives. The $72.5 million cash payment is in exchange for the settlement and dismissal of all claims in this lawsuit against the Defendants. The Settlement Agreement describes the details of the proposed settlement, including the release of claims.
On June 7, 2010, Judge Janet C. Hall of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut issued an order granting preliminary approval of the proposed settlement. At the Fairness Hearing, to be held on September 21, 2010 at 10:00 a.m., the Court will decide whether to grant final approval. The Court will also decide whether to award attorneys' fees and reimbursement of expenses to Class Counsel and compensation payments to the class representatives for their services. To date, Class Counsel have not received any payment for their services in prosecuting this lawsuit on behalf of the settlement class; nor have Class Counsel been reimbursed for their out-of-pocket expenses.
For additional information about the lawsuit and the proposed settlement, including the Notice of Proposed Class Action Settlement, which sets forth in detail the rights and options of class members, please click on the tabs on the left side of this page.
Important Note: As explained in the Notice of Proposed Class Action Settlement, if you are a settlement class member and did not previously exclude yourself from this lawsuit, and the Court finally approves the proposed settlement, you will be entitled to receive a payment. You do not need to take any action at this time in order to receive a payment from the proposed settlement in the event that the Court grants final approval. In addition, if you did previously exclude yourself from this lawsuit, you may opt back in by executing the Election to Opt Back In form and returning it to the Claims Administrator.
Important Note: This proposed settlement does not affect your original settlement agreement with a Hartford property and casualty company in any way. It will not change the amount or timing of your payments under your structured settlement. Hartford Life will continue to have the obligation to make any outstanding structured settlement payments under your structured settlement.
Questions? Contact the Claims Administrator, toll-free, at 1-800-951-2135, or you may contact Class Counsel as follows:
| David S. Golub Jonathan M. Levine Silver Golub & Teitell LLP 184 Atlantic Street P.O. Box 389 Stamford, CT 06904 (203) 325-4491 www.sgtlaw.com |
Carl S. Kravitz Caroline E. Reynolds Zuckerman Spaeder LLP 1800 M Street NW Washington, DC 20036 (202) 778-1800 www.zuckerman.com |
| Peter R. Kahana Steven L. Bloch Berger & Montague, P.C. 1622 Locust Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 (215) 875-3000 www.bergermontague.com |
Richard B. Risk, Jr. Risk Law Firm 3417 East 76th Street Tulsa, OK 74136 (918) 494-8025 www.risklawfirm.com |