If you are or were a named insured under a property insurance policy issued by State Farm General Insurance Company and suffered a covered loss to personal property for which you received a payment of actual cash value benefits between March 1, 2019 and July 15, 2025 that were reduced due to depreciation of sales tax, a class action lawsuit may affect your rights.
This website is to inform you of a pending class action lawsuit, known as Melissa Pitkin, et al v. State Farm General Insurance Company, Case No. 3:23-CV-00924-WHO, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California against State Farm General Insurance Company (“State Farm” or “Defendant”) relating to State Farm’s calculation of Actual Cash Value (“ACV”) benefits for personal property claims where ACV benefits were reduced due to depreciation of sales tax. The Defendant denies the legal claims in this lawsuit and the Court has not decided who is right or wrong. However, if you are a Class Member, your legal rights are affected, and you have a choice to make now.
Who is Included? You are a Class Member if you are a person, who, between March 1, 2019 and July 15, 2025, were or are a named insured under a property insurance policy issued in California by State Farm, who suffered a covered loss to personal property for which you received payment of actual cash value benefits that were reduced due to depreciation of sales tax, and who were paid or are reasonably certain to be paid benefits in an amount that is less than the applicable policy limits.
What are my options? If you are a Class Member, you must choose whether to stay in the Class. If you want to remain in the Class, you do not need to do anything now. If money or benefits are obtained for the Class, you will be notified about how to get your share. You will be bound by all orders and judgments of the Court, whether favorable or not, and you will not be able to sue Defendant for the legal claims at issue in this lawsuit. If you exclude yourself, you will not receive money or benefits if they become available in the future, but you will not be bound by any orders or judgments in this lawsuit. To exclude yourself from the class, you must mail a written request for exclusion, postmarked by May 28, 2026. The Long Form Notice, available at the case website, has more information on how to request to be excluded.
The Trial. Plaintiffs will have to prove their legal claims at a trial. The trial has been scheduled for September 8, 2026. There is no guarantee that the Plaintiffs will win, or that they will get any money for the Class. Class Counsel will present the case for Plaintiffs and the Class, and lawyers for Defendant will present on their behalf. You or your lawyer may attend the trial at your own expense, but you do not have to. If Class Counsel gets money or benefits for the Class, they may ask the Court for an award of attorneys’ fees and expenses. If granted by the Court, their fees and expenses will be deducted from any money obtained for the class or paid separately by Defendant.