In recent years, Alabama has obtained a national reputation as a hotbed for suits brought on behalf of consumers alleging claims for fraud or bad faith. These suits often can result in significant exposure to punitive damages. The attorneys at Lightfoot, Franklin & White have substantial experience representing defendants in numerous industries, including insurance companies, banks, consumer finance companies and mortgage companies, who face these suits in venues throughout Alabama. We have handled thousands of these cases at the trial and appellate levels. Recent examples of our experience in this area include:

• Defense of numerous life, health and casualty insurers in individual sales practice litigation and class actions.
• Representation of a life insurer faced with a nationwide class action involving claims of fraud and discrimination through alleged use of race-based underwriting practices.
• Organization and management of the defense of thousands of claims brought by individual opt-outs from consumer-fraud class actions.
• Defense of fraud and bad-faith suits related to credit life and disability insurance.
• Defense of one of the country's largest credit card issuers in fraud litigation brought in Alabama state and federal courts.
• Representation of several major casualty insurers in class actions over claim valuation procedures.
• Defense of financial institutions against claims for fraud in connection with home mortgage and automobile financing.
• Defense of a national natural gas supplier against fraud and suppression claims brought by an Alabama municipality.
• Representation of a nationwide pest control company in consumer-fraud actions at trial and on appeal.