The Great Falls Tribune recently published a letter of thanks from Kayre Chatellier, executive director of the Cascade County Law Clinic, to Anders Blewett and Alexander (Zander) Blewett III from Hoyt and Blewett PLLC for their work in a health insurance class action.
Anders Blewett and Alexander (Zander) Blewett III presented a $34,363.20 check to the Cascade County Law Clinic (Law Clinic) which constitutes residual funds from a Montana-based class action that they filed in 2010 on behalf of health insurance consumers. The lawsuit, which was filed in Cascade County against the State of Montana and Caring for Montanans, Inc., f/k/a Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana, Inc. (BCBS), challenged the legality of certain health insurance denials issued to approximately 377 current and former employees of the State of Montana and their dependents. The suit alleged that the plan members were wrongly denied health benefits due to a misconstrued health insurance exclusion. Anders Blewett and Zander Blewett served as lead counsel for the class.
A class action settlement of $950,000 was approved, which directed that the residual funds be allocated to the Law Clinic. “Our class action opened the doors of the courthouse and allowed a lot of people to obtain justice who could not have afforded to hire an attorney,” said Anders Blewett. “We are pleased the residual funds from this class action will go to the Law Clinic to help even more vulnerable members of our community gain access to the courts.”
The Law Clinic provides critical legal representation in matters of family law and landlord-tenant law to low-income individuals and families in Cascade County by coordinating and facilitating the volunteer legal services of private attorneys. Without the important services provided by the Law Clinic many individuals and families in Great Falls, Montana and surrounding areas would lose their ability to access the Courts.