Supreme Court
USAA Cas. Ins. Co. v. Letot
- Case number: 22-0238
- Legal category: Class Actions
- Subtype: Class Certification
- Set for oral argument: January 10, 2024
Case Summary
The issue in this case is whether the trial court erred by certifying a proposed class action.
Sunny Letot’s vehicle was rear-ended by a USAA-insured driver. USAA determined that the cost to repair Letot’s vehicle exceeded its value and deemed her car a total loss. USAA therefore sent Letot a check for the car’s value and filed a report with the Texas Department of Transportation identifying Letot’s car as “salvage.” Letot later rejected USAA’s valuation and check. She sued USAA for conversion for sending TxDOT the report before she accepted payment. Letot then sought class certification.
The trial court certified a class for both injunctive relief and damages. The class consisted of all claimants for whom USAA filed a report within three days of attempting to pay a claim for a vehicle deemed a total loss. The court of appeals affirmed the certification order.
USAA petitioned for review. It argues that neither Letot nor the alleged class members have standing to sue. In the alternative, USAA argues that the class fails to satisfy the certification requirements. The Supreme Court granted USAA’s petition.
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