Ward v. Dixie Nat'l Life Ins. Co., No. 08-2378

In a class action lawsuit against multiple insurance companies alleging that defendants violated a contractual promise under insurance policies to pay policyholders the "actual charges" of cancer treatments, judgment in favor of the plaintiffs is affirmed where: 1) under the three-step retroactivity analysis, the presumption against retroactivity operates to bar the application of the South Carolina statute to the claims in this case; and 2) defendants' remaining arguments are meritless.     

Ward v. Dixie Nat'l Life Ins. Co., No. 08-2378

Appellate Information

Argued: December 1, 2009

Decided: February 8, 2010

Judges

Opinion by Circuit Judge Wilkinson

Counsel

For Appellant: Kenneth W. Starr, Kirkland & Ellis, LLP

For Appellee:   Richard Harpootlian, Richard A. Harpootlian, PA