AFTERMARKET AFFIRMATION

Two weeks ago, an Illinois state Appellate Court upheld most of a lower court’s verdict in a nationwide class-action lawsuit against State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. The court, in its affirmation of the trial court’s decision, ruled that State Farm acted with “calculated deception of its policyholders” in supplying them with auto-body parts that critics claimed were substandard.

The court reduced the $1.2 billion award by $130 million because of a technical error in the calculation of the damages. According to an Associated Press report, a State Farm spokesperson said the company is disappointed in the verdict and will appeal it to the Illinois Supreme Court.