In this week’s Suits & Settlements, you’ll find the following reports:
Court Weighs GEICO Personal Injury Coverage Settlement. GEICO and a class of hundreds of policyholders have asked a Washington federal judge to grant final approval to a settlement resolving claims that the insurer improperly denied or limited personal injury protection (PIP) benefits by determining injured motorists had reached "maximum medical improvement," according to Law360. The class action alleged GEICO prematurely cut off PIP medical benefits after concluding certain claimants had recovered as much as reasonably possible, leaving them responsible for additional medical expenses. GEICO denied wrongdoing but agreed to settle the dispute rather than continue litigating the claims. If the court grants final approval, the agreement will resolve the lawsuit for hundreds of affected policyholders. Personal injury protection coverage, which pays certain medical expenses and related costs regardless of fault following an accident, has long been a source of litigation between insurers and policyholders over when benefits may legally be reduced or terminated. The court's decision on final approval will determine whether the settlement becomes binding and whether eligible class members receive compensation under the terms of the agreement.
Honda Sued Over Allegedly Defective Odyssey Starting System. A proposed class-action lawsuit filed in federal court alleges certain 2018-2025 Honda Odyssey minivans contain a defective starting system that can leave drivers stranded, according to ClassAction.org. Plaintiffs claim the defect can prevent the vehicles from starting even when batteries and other components are in working order, forcing owners to pay for repeated repairs and replacements. The complaint alleges Honda knew or should have known about the issue through warranty claims, dealership repairs and consumer complaints but failed to disclose the defect or provide an adequate remedy. The lawsuit seeks damages and other relief on behalf of affected owners. Honda has not publicly responded to the allegations.
Nissan Hit With Cooling Fan Defect Class Action. A proposed class-action lawsuit alleges certain 2017-2022 Nissan Rogue Sport models are equipped with defective radiator cooling fans that can fail prematurely, potentially causing engine overheating and costly repairs, according to ClassAction.org. Plaintiffs allege Nissan concealed the defect despite knowing about it through testing, warranty data and customer complaints. The lawsuit seeks damages and other relief for affected owners, claiming the defect can reduce vehicle reliability and resale value. Nissan has not responded to the allegations in court.
Tesla Faces New Lawsuit Over Full Self-Driving Claims. A proposed class-action lawsuit alleges Tesla marketed certain vehicles as capable of achieving full self-driving capability even though the hardware installed in those vehicles cannot safely support autonomous driving, according to ClassAction.org. Plaintiffs claim they paid a premium for technology that cannot deliver the capabilities promised and allege Tesla misrepresented the functionality of its Full Self-Driving system. The lawsuit seeks damages and other relief for affected owners. Tesla has denied similar allegations in other litigation and continues to maintain that Full Self-Driving is a supervised driver-assistance system requiring driver attention.
Photo: ChatGPT Plus/CarPro.