Law360 (November 16, 2020, 10:37 PM EST) — A federal judge in Alabama cautioned an attorney for non-consenting class members Monday about second-guessing “the tactical decisions of class counsel” in a proposed $2.67 billion multidistrict class settlement for alleged overpayments to Blue Cross-Blue Shield insurers.
U.S. District Judge R. David Proctor made the point during a video-conference preliminary approval hearing in the Northern District of Alabama for the settlement of a suit filed in January 2013, targeting allegations that the insurers divvied up the nation and conspired to restrain competition among themselves and from other insurers, causing damages estimated at between $19 billion and $38 billion.