CLAIMANTS' ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Dow Corning Breast Implant / Bankruptcy Settlement

Volume 16, No. 7, August 1, 2019

 

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Email: info@tortcomm.org or

Phone: (419) 394-0717 or

Website: www.tortcomm.org

 

 

CAC Sybil Niden Goldrich

P.O. Box 665 Ernest Hornsby, Esq.

St. Marys, OH 45885 Dianna Pendleton-Dominguez, Esq.

 

 

The final claims deadline in this settlement was June 3, 2019. The Settlement Facility has been busy organizing the thousands of letters and e-mails it received and has begun the process of reviewing the new submissions. Here is a brief update on that process:

The Settlement Facility received approximately 11,500 new submissions at or immediately prior to the June 3, 2019 final claims deadline. However, NOT ALL OF THESE ARE CLAIMS for benefits. For example, 2,500 submissions are address updates, 705 are attorney updates, and 968 are probate documents. The Settlement Facility received approximately 1,000 Proof of Manufacturer claim forms, 1,050 Expedited Release claims, approximately 4,800 Disease claims (some of these are previously submitted MDL disease claims that have not been reviewed), and about 500 appeals.

The Settlement Facility has completed the task of opening and sorting all submissions, scanned many of the documents (this is a work in process) and has begun reviewing new complete Disease and Expedited Release claims, Increased Severity disease claims, and RAI's (Review of Additional Information for previously submitted claims). We do not have a time frame for when this process will be completed as the Settlement Facility is still reviewing and analyzing this issue.

Additional Premium Payments will NOT be made this year. We do not know when they will be made. The Settlement Plan provides a process for this to occur, and that includes a review and written recommendation to the District Court by the Finance Committee and an order from the District Court authorizing the additional Premium Payments. This process has NOT been done yet because the Settlement Facility is still gathering information and data and reviewing the newly submitted claims. We will update this in the future as more concrete information is available.

DISEASE CLAIMS PROCESSING – Disease claims will be reviewed in the order in which they were received. Pursuant to Closing Order 1, only complete claims will be reviewed (complete claims require a Proof of Manufacturer form and supporting documents, and the Disease / Expedited Release form and supporting documents for the disease claim).

LATE CLAIM SUBMISSIONS - If your claim submission had a postmark of June 4, 2019 or later, it will be denied as late, and letters stating this will be mailed shortly.

REQUEST FOR EXTENSIONS OF THE DEADLINE - Requests for extensions of the June 3, 2019 deadline will be denied, and letters stating this will be mailed shortly as well.

GENERAL REMINDERS

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR THE SETTLEMENT FACILITY: Settlement Facility, P.O. Box 52429, Houston, TX 77052 PHONE NUMBER: 866-874-6099 EMAIL: info@sfdct.com.

PROBATE INFORMATION (BENEFITS PAYABLE AFTER A CLAIMANT'S DEATH): If a claimant has died, her estate can receive the claimant's approved payments, but they must contain certain necessary documents from the probate court. For more information on what the Settlement Facility needs, contact them toll free at: 1-866-874-6099 or by email at info@sfdct.com.

ATTORNEY FEE LIMITS AND EXPENSES: The Plan sets a cap on the attorney fees payable to your attorney (if you were represented individually on your claim). The fee limits are: 10% of the first $10,000; 22.5% of the next $40,000; and 30% of amounts in excess of $50,000. The Plan also lists the types of expenses that attorneys can charge. For more information on allowable fees and expenses, review the Claimant Information Guide at Section 11 (http://www.tortcomm.org/downloads/CIG_ENG_5.pdf.

 

If you would like to read prior CAC e-newsletters, they are available on the CAC website by clicking on "Electronic Newsletter." We urge you to visit the CAC website (www.tortcomm.org) on a regular basis to download or view relevant documents and read updates and new information.

NOTICE: This document is copyrighted. You are not authorized to post it on any website without express, prior written permission of the Claimants' Advisory Committee.