Insurance Firm’s Contributions to Vote Drive Upheld
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Barnet M. Cooperman ruled Friday that State Farm, California’s largest seller of auto insurance, has the right to contribute to the insurance industry’s initiative campaigns this fall without first polling its policyholders.
After a two-hour hearing, Cooperman rejected a new attempt by Claremont attorney William Shernoff, a former president of the California Trial Lawyers Assn., to obtain an injunction limiting an expected $4 million in donations by State Farm. The judge said Shernoff could try later to recover damages for policyholders who do not agree with the company’s position.
Several weeks ago, Cooperman dismissed another Shernoff lawsuit that would have blocked any contributions by State Farm.
In another development in the initiative fight, the California State Sheriffs Assn. and the County Supervisors Assn. of California endorsed Proposition 100, an insurance initiative sponsored by the California Trial Lawyers Assn.
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