COLORADO POLICYHOLDERS SEEK LAWSUIT OVER AUTO INSURANCE PREMIUMS:

In a class-action suit, a group of Colorado drivers claim that they have overpaid auto insurance premiums over the past 25 years and that they should be reimbursed for the overcharges. The 2003 suit was filed in Boulder District Court. The drivers allege that insurance companies did not inform them that a household must only pay once for uninsured motorist coverage, instead of on a per-vehicle basis. A 2001 state Supreme Court decision upheld the principle that uninsured motorist coverage follows the policyholder and not the vehicle, but lawyers say that the drivers in the suit have paid two or three uninsured motorist premiums. Insurance companies said that it has been their practice for decades to furnish uninsured motorist coverage on a per-vehicle basis. A lawyer for one of the insurance companies said that it would be unmanageable for companies to review 100,000 insurance transactions to determine if the drivers were informed about uninsured motorist coverage options. The judge in the case is expected to issue an opinion following the insurance companies’ request to dismiss the lawsuit.