Ice Storm of January 1998 - Total settlement of $ 52.5 million - Approximately two million people could be compensated Français

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OPTION CONSOMMATEURS

Sep 11, 2013, 07:26 ET

MONTREAL, Sept. 11, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - Option consommateurs has obtained a total settlement of $ 52.5 million as a result of the class action following the ice storm of 1998. Approximately two million people could be compensated.

The agreement reached on September 3, 2013, with 15 insurance companies provides for the payment of a sum of $ 40 million, without admission of liability. This amount is in addition to the $ 12.5 million already obtained in the agreement reached with four insurance companies on 18 December 2012. "This is one of the most significant indemnity obtained in a class action in Quebec," said Jean-Pierre Fafard, of the firm Sylvestre Fafard Painchaud.

This agreement must be approved by the Superior Court of Quebec at a hearing to be held at the Montreal Courthouse on October 25, 2013.

The insurance companies involved are:

Allstate Insurance Company of Canada
Aviva Insurance Company of Canada (Formerly General Accident Assurance Company)
Desjardins General Insurance Inc.
Industrial Alliance Auto and Home Insurance Inc.
La Capitale General Insurance Inc.
Liberty Mutual Insurance Company
L'Unique General Insurance Inc.
Optimum Insurance Company Inc.
Promutuel Verchères Société Mutuelle d'assurance Générale
SSQ Société d'assurances Générales Inc.
The Canadian Union Insurance Company
The Missisquoi Insurance Company
The Personal General Insurance Inc.
The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company and
Traders General Insurance Company

The facts
Following the ice storm of 1998, Option consommateurs filed a class action against 19 home insurance companies. The consumer association maintains that the policyholders were entitled to compensation as "additional living expenses" (ALE) since their home was uninhabitable under the terms of their insurance contracts.

Members covered by the agreement
This agreement was reached on behalf of those persons who had a home insurance policy with one of the 15 insurance companies mentioned above during the ice storm of January 1998 and who lived in one of the 640 municipalities targeted by the class action. For information concerning these municipalities, visit www.option-consommateurs.org.

To be compensated: provide new address
To receive the compensation they are entitled to, class members covered by this agreement have no specific step to take. However, those who have moved since the ice storm of 1998 must provide their new address by visiting www.icestormclassaction.ca or by calling toll free 1 866-288-3683, no later than 31 January 2014.

Option consommateurs is represented by the firm Sylvestre Fafard Painchaud (Mtre. Jean-Pierre Fafard), by Mtre. Marie-Michèle Dion and Mtre. Louise Denoncourt.

For more information on this matter, consumers can visit the following websites:

About Option consommateurs

Founded in 1983, Option consommateurs is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote and defend the rights and interests of consumers and ensure that they are respected. It has a strong interest in questions related to business practices, financial services, energy and agribusiness. In over 25 years, the association has been involved in nearly 50 class actions.
http://www.option-consommateurs.org/

SOURCE: OPTION CONSOMMATEURS

Lucie Kechichian
Option consommateurs
Communications Consultant
514 777-6133
[email protected]

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Option consommateurs