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Student at Georgia Technical College Receives NABC Pride Award at SEMA Show 2011 The National Auto Body Council (NABC) announced the winners of the 16th annual Pride Awards on Novem-
Jessica Anderson (center) and Instructor Mark Whitson (2nd from left) received a “Pride Award” at SEMA 2011. Representing the NABC are (from left) Bob Keith, Stacy Bartnik and Janet Chaney
ber 2 at the 2011 SEMA Show. The NABC began bestowing the awards on deserving individuals in the collision repair industry to further their mission to create positive public awareness of the collision repair industry. Jessica Anderson, a student of collision repair at Wiregrass Georgia Technical College, was the only student to receive a Pride Award this year. Anderson is a Skills USA participant who decided she wanted to use her collision training to help people in her community. She observed plenty of
Voices Heard Amid Revving Engines at SEMA, What the Collision Repairers Said and Heard by John Yoswick
See Pride Awards, Page 11
California Court Grants Joint Motion to Dismiss Perez et al. Aftermarket Antitrust Case, Allows Plaintiffs to Refile Case
sidiaries as named defendants and alleged that the auto insurers set up a sham organization to prevent competition over auto repair parts. U.S. District Judge James Ware said in the ruling that because the plaintiffs never paid insurance premiums directly to the wholly owned subsidiaries, they did not suffer any financial injury at the hands of the subsidiaries, and therefore have no standing to bring a class action against them under Article III of the U.S. Constitution. The plaintiffs filed suit against the insurance companies and CAPA in 2006. Named plaintiffs Sarah Perez, See Antitrust Dismissal, Page 19
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A California federal judge granted a joint plaintiff and defendant motion to dismiss an antitrust class action against State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. and other insurers Nov. 15, saying the plaintiffs do not have standing to sue several wholly owned subsidiaries of the insurance companies. The plaintiffs had filed a fourth amended complaint in July against State Farm, Allstate Indemnity Co., Geico General Insurance Co., Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Co. and the Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA), a purported independent regulatory body created by the auto insurers. The complaint added the sub-
VOL. 2 ISSUE 10 DECEMBER 2011
One of three SEMA Show Halls hosting 2,000 vehicles and 135,000 attendees
When you read a sampling of comments from among the 135,000 people in Vegas during SEMA week—no matter how you look at it—SEMA has all the diversity of a small city. A city where, for love or profit, all the citizens share a car obsession, but it’s a city-sized population nonetheless. About 132,000 people flooded into Las Vegas in November for the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) tradeshow, with about half of those pegged by show organizers as “buyers.” That’s about a 17 percent jump in show attendance over last year. They could have spent a day just checking out the approximately 2,000 cars on display in and in front See SEMA Heard & Said, Page 30
California DOI Meeting Addresses Regulations Affecting Aftermarket Parts and Accountability by Ed Attanasio
In the first major policy meeting directly affecting the collision repair industry, representatives of Insurance Commissioner David Jones called a pre-notice public meeting for discussions on regulations regarding standards for reasonable repairs and the use of aftermarket parts on November 16th in San Francisco. In preparation for the “pre-notice public discussions,” the Commissioner released a series of proposed revisions to the California Code of Regulations that was discussed and reviewed in depth at the meeting. In approximately 45 days, Jones and his department will issue an official Notice of Proposed Action. The meeting was chaired by Teresa A. Campbell of the DOI’s Legal division and attended by 50–60 invitation-only repairers, insurers, and representatives of both OE and Aftermarket parts manufacturers. In a letter to invited participants sent to body
shops, insurers and aftermarket parts vendors and manufacturers, the Commissioner’s office wrote: “The purpose of these discussions is to permit certain interested and affected persons an opportunity to present statements or comments with respect to the attached draft regulations text.” The draft regulations largely pertain to the specification and use of aftermarket parts, but also include new requirements for adjusting estimates as well as consumer disclosures and remedies in the event that a defective part is used for a repair. See sidebar. Gene Crozat, the owner of G&C Auto Body with seven Northern California locations, attended the meeting and and offered his perspective. After reviewing the proposed changes, Crozat recognizes that the Commissioner is addressing a volatile subject and questions some of the language within the contemplated revisions. See DOI Meeting, Page 33
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