http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBGX6C5JCE.htmlSPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - The Illinois Supreme Court on Thursday reversed a $1 billion judgment against State Farm Insurance Co. in a class-action lawsuit alleging the company used substandard parts to repair damaged cars.
The court held that the lawsuit should never have been given class-action status. Differences in customers' insurance policies meant they did not share the same conditions, as required to sue as a group, justices found.
It was also a mistake for an Illinois trial court to grant national class-action status when there was only one named plaintiff from Illinois and he failed to prove he had suffered actual damages, the Supreme Court found.
In 1999, a jury ordered Bloomington-based State Farm to pay nearly $1.2 billion for failing to provide top-quality parts when paying for auto repairs. At the time, it was the largest judgment in Illinois history.
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