If you lived or worked in Northern California and paid any portion of premiums for health insurance from Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield of California, Health Net or United Healthcare at any time from January 1, 2011 through March 8, 2021, you may be eligible for a payment in a $228.5 million class action settlement

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SEATTLE, June 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- JND Legal Administration

A proposed settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit called Sidibe, et al. v. Sutter Health, No. 3:12-cv-4854-LB (N.D. Cal.).

What is the lawsuit about?  The Plaintiffs claim that Sutter Health broke the law by including unfair terms in its contracts with insurance plans. The Plaintiffs claim that these terms caused insurance plans in certain parts of Northern California to overpay for hospital services, which resulted in higher premiums for individuals and businesses. Sutter Health denies any wrongdoing. The Court didn't decide who is right. Instead, the parties agreed to a settlement to avoid more litigation.

Am I included in the Settlement?  You may be eligible to receive a payment if all these statements are true:

• You paid premiums for a fully-insured health plan from Aetna, Anthem, Blue Shield, Health Net or United Healthcare.
  
  
• You paid these premiums sometime between January 1, 2011, and March 8, 2021.
  
  
• While paying these premiums, you lived or worked in one of these California counties OR you were an employer with an office in one of these California counties: Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Marin, Mendocino, Merced, Modoc, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Yolo, or Yuba.

For more details about who is eligible visit SutterHealthPremiumLawsuit.com.

What can I get from the Settlement?  Class Members who file a valid claim by September 12, 2025 may get a cash payment.

If the Settlement is approved, Class Members who file a valid claim by September 12, 2025 may get a cash payment. The Settlement creates a $228.5 million Settlement Fund. After payment for the cost to administer the Settlement, attorneys' fees (not to exceed 33% of the Settlement Fund), reimbursement of litigation expenses, and service award payments to Plaintiffs in an amount not to exceed $20,000 for the three Plaintiffs who testified at trial and $15,000 for the other three Plaintiffs, the remaining Settlement Fund will be distributed to eligible Class Members pursuant to the Plan of Distribution. Details are in the Settlement Agreement, the Class Notice, and the Plan of Distribution available at SutterHealthPremiumLawsuit.com.

How do I request a payment?  To request a payment, submit a claim online at SutterHealthPremiumLawsuit.com or mail your claim to Sutter Health Premium Overpayment Settlement, c/o JND Legal Administration, P.O. Box 91350, Seattle, WA 98111. Your claim must be submitted online or postmarked no later than September 12, 2025.

You can get a printed claim form at SutterHealthPremiumLawsuit.com or by calling 1-833-961-3465.

What are my other options?  Class Members were previously given the opportunity to be excluded or "opt-out" from the Class.

• If you didn't ask to be excluded from the Class, you are a Class Member. You are bound by the Settlement and don't have an option to seek exclusion at this time. You have the right to file a claim and the right to object to the Settlement. For details on how to object, go to SutterHealthPremiumLawsuit.com. You can also call 1-833-961-3465. Objections must be postmarked by August 28, 2025.
  
  
• If you asked to be excluded from the Class by the opt-out deadline of March 8, 2021, then you aren't a Class Member. You don't have the right to file a claim or to object to the Settlement.

The Fairness Hearing. The Court will hold a Fairness Hearing on November 6, 2025 to consider whether the Settlement is fair, reasonable, and adequate. The Court will also decide whether to approve attorneys' fees, legal expenses, administrative costs, and service award payments, which will be paid from the Settlement Fund. If there are objections, the Court will consider them. The Court cannot alter the terms of the Settlement without the consent of the parties. If the Court denies approval, no Settlement payments will be sent.

If you wish, you may ask to appear at the Fairness Hearing, on your own behalf or through your counsel. The Court has appointed Class Counsel to represent you and the other Class Members.

The date and time of the hearing may change. Check SutterHealthPremiumLawsuit.com for updates.

Questions?  

• Visit SutterHealthPremiumLawsuit.com
• Email [email protected]
• Call 1-833-961-3465
• Write Sutter Health Premium Overpayment Settlement, c/o JND Legal Administration, P.O. Box 91350, Seattle, WA 98111
• Access the Settlement Agreement and publicly filed documents for a fee through the Court's Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system at https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov

Court documents may also be examined and copied at any time during regular office hours at the office of the Clerk of the Court, United States District Court for the Northern District of California, San Francisco Division, 450 Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102-3489.

SOURCE JND Legal Administration