Jury in Class Action Litigation Returns Favorable Verdict for Analysis Group Client First American Title

July 24, 2025

Analysis Group was retained by Dentons on behalf of First American Title Insurance Company, the defendant in a class action dispute in which the attorneys for the plaintiffs, First American title insurance policy holders, claimed damages related to premiums the plaintiffs paid for title insurance policies in California. They sought class-wide damages for a defined class period.

An Analysis Group team led by Vice Presidents Peter Simon, Brian Thomas, and George Derpanopoulos supported Managing Principal Bruce Deal, who provided an analysis of industry competitiveness, and Senior Advisor Bruce Strombom, who provided analyses of the insurance marketplace and premium levels.

At deposition, Mr. Deal opined on characteristics of the title insurance industry and title insurance as a product. He testified that the competition indicators he examined – including market shares, number of competitors, product quality, and innovation – were consistent with the California title insurance industry being competitive before, during, and after the class period.

Dr. Strombom opined at trial that the plaintiffs were actually partially undercharged according to their own damages theory, and how the named plaintiff did not suffer any damages given First American’s schedule of fees. Dr. Strombom also rebutted the opposing expert’s damages calculations.

A jury in the Los Angeles County Superior Court returned a verdict in favor of First American and against the plaintiffs on the two causes of action in the case for intentional misrepresentation and negligent misrepresentation.