Goertzen v. Great American Life Insurance Company

Filing 86

FINAL ORDER AND JUDGMENT APPROVING CLASS SETTLEMENT; AWARDING CLASS REPRESENTATIVE SERVICE AWARD, AWARDING CLASS COUNSEL FEES AND EXPENSES AND DISMISSING ACTION WITH PREJUDICE re 79 MOTION for Final Approval of Class Action Settlement and Attorneys' Fees and Costs filed by Joyce Goertzen; DISMISSING ACTION WITH PREJUDICE. Signed by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers on 3/28/18. (fs, COURT STAFF) (Filed on 3/28/2018)

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1 2 3 4 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 5 FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 6 OAKLAND DIVISION 7 8 9 10 JOYCE GOERTZEN, an individual, individually and on behalf of herself all similarly-situated persons, by and through her power of attorney BEVERLY KRAUS, 11 12 13 14 15 Plaintiff, v. GREAT AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, and DOES 1-50 Case No.: 4:16-cv-00240-YGR [PROPOSED] FINAL ORDER (1)APPROVING CLASS SETTLEMENT, (2) AWARDING CLASS REPRESENTATIVE SERVICE AWARD, (3) AWARDING CLASS COUNSEL FEES AND EXPENSES AND (4) DISMISSING ACTION WTH PREJUDICE Hon. Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers Defendants. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 [PROPOSED] FINAL ORDER APPROVING CLASS SETTLEMENT AND FINAL JUDGMENT OF DISMISSAL WITH PREJUDICE 1 The motion of Plaintiff Joyce Goertzen, individually and on behalf of the Class as defined in 2 the Settlement Agreement previously filed in this Action, for final approval of the class action 3 Settlement reached with Defendant Great American Life Insurance Company (“Great American”) 4 came on for hearing before this Court on March 27, 2018. Robert D. Phillips, Jr., appeared as 5 attorney for Great American, and Ingrid M. Evans appeared as attorney for Plaintiff. After 6 considering the Settlement Agreement, the moving papers, arguments of counsel and all other 7 matters presented to the Court, it is hereby ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED AS 8 FOLLOWS: 9 1. The Motion for Final Approval of Class Action Settlement is hereby GRANTED. 10 2. This Final Order Approving Class Action Settlement and Final Judgment of 11 Dismissal With Prejudice (“Final Order and Judgment”) incorporates and makes part hereof: (a) the 12 Parties’ Settlement Agreement, filed September 27, 2017, including Exhibits A through D 13 (collectively the “Settlement Agreement”) and (b) the Court’s findings and conclusions contained in 14 its Findings and Order Preliminarily Approving Class Settlement, Directing Issuance of Notice to the 15 Class, and Setting of Fairness Hearing (“Preliminary Approval Order”). All defined terms in this 16 Final Order and Judgment shall have the same meanings as in the Settlement Agreement. The 17 Preliminary Approval Order (Dkt. 78) is attached hereto as Exhibit 1 and the Settlement Agreement 18 with Exhibits, attached to the Preliminary Approval Order as Exhibit A (Dkt 78), is attached hereto 19 as Exhibit 1A. 20 21 22 3. All preliminary findings and conclusions in the Court’s Preliminary Approval Order are hereby made final. 4. The Court has personal jurisdiction over all Class Members. The Court has subject 23 matter jurisdiction over the claims asserted in this Action to approve the Settlement Agreement and 24 all exhibits attached thereto. Venue is proper. The Settlement Agreement and Settlement are fair, 25 reasonable and adequate, and consistent and in compliance with the applicable provisions of the 26 United States Constitution, its Amendments, and the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, as to, and in 27 the best interests of, the Class. The Court also finds that the Settlement resulted from an arm’s-length 28 mediation session and was concluded only after Plaintiff and Great American conducted their own 1 1 investigations and evaluations of the factual and legal issues raised by Plaintiff’s claims, as well as 2 Great American’s defenses. No objections have been made to the Settlement by any member of the 3 Class. Accordingly, the Settlement Agreement is hereby finally approved. 4 5 6 7 8 9 5. The Class, as defined in Section II.13 of the Settlement Agreement, is finally certified for settlement purposes. 6. The Court hereby directs the Parties and their counsel to implement and consummate the Settlement Agreement according to its terms and provisions. 7. Pursuant to the Court’s Preliminary Approval Order, the notice requirement was satisfied in that the Administrator mailed the Class Notice to each Class Member, no later than 14 10 days after entry of the Preliminary Approval Order, by first-class mail, postage prepaid, to his or her 11 last known address and further steps were taken in accordance with the Settlement Agreement to 12 obtain updated addresses when mail was returned as undelivered and to re-send the Class Notice. 13 Members of the Class had the opportunity to object to the Settlement or to exclude 14 themselves from the Settlement, and they were informed of the date, time, and location of the 15 Fairness Hearing and had the opportunity to appear at the Fairness Hearing. These procedures 16 afforded protections to Class Members and provide the basis for the Court to make an informed 17 decision on approval of the Settlement based on the responses of Class Members 18 8. The Class Notice Package and all other instruments provided to Class Members: 19 (a) constituted the best practicable notice under the circumstances; 20 (b) constituted notice that was reasonably calculated to apprise Class Members of 21 the pendency of the Action, their right to object to or exclude themselves from the proposed 22 Settlement and to appear at the Fairness Hearing; 23 24 (c) persons entitled to receive notice; and 25 26 27 28 was reasonable and constituted due, adequate, and sufficient notice to all (d) met all applicable requirements of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the United States Constitution, and its Amendments, including the Due Process Clause. 9. Class Counsel and the Plaintiff adequately represented the Class for purposes of entering into and implementing the Settlement. 2 1 10. The list of those persons who have requested exclusion from the Class in accordance 2 with the terms of the Settlement Agreement and the Preliminary Approval Order has been filed with 3 the Court, is attached to this Order, and is hereby approved. See Exhibit 4 Those persons are hereby excluded from the Class. The Court finds that it is a complete list of all 5 Class Members who have timely requested exclusion from the Class, and accordingly, such Class 6 Members shall neither share in nor be bound by this Final Order and Judgment or the Settlement 7 Agreement. 8 11. Class Counsel are hereby awarded attorneys’ fees in the amount of $370,513.69 and 9 expenses and costs in the amount of $20,000.00 (“Class Counsel Payment”). These amounts cover 10 any and all claims for attorneys’ fees, expenses, and costs incurred by any and all Class Counsel in 11 connection with the Settlement of the Action and the administration of such Settlement. Class 12 Counsel Payment shall be provided by Great American to Class Counsel in accordance with Sections 13 IX.B.5 through IX.B.8 of the Settlement Agreement upon satisfaction of the conditions set forth 14 therein. 15 12. As a service award for participation as the Class Representative in the Action, the 16 Court awards $ 0,000.00 to Plaintiff Joyce Goertzen. Great American shall pay the service award 17 in addition to any benefits that Plaintiff is entitled to receive as a Class Member. Great American 18 shall pay the service award within ten (10) days of the Effective Date. 19 13. The Release set forth in the Settlement Agreement in Section VIII is incorporated 20 herein and effective as of the date of this Final Order and Judgment, and forever discharges the 21 Releasees from any claims or liabilities arising from or related to the Released Claims. 22 14. Without affecting the finality of this Final Order and Judgment for purposes of 23 appeal, the Court shall retain jurisdiction as to all matters relating to administration, consummation, 24 enforcement, and interpretation of the Settlement Agreement and this Order, and for any other 25 necessary purpose; provided, however, that nothing in this paragraph shall restrict the ability of the 26 Parties to exercise their rights under Paragraphs 17, 18, and 20 of this Final Order and Judgment. 27 The Parties submit to the jurisdiction of the Court for purposes of administration, construction, 28 consummation, enforcement, and interpretation of the Settlement Agreement and the Settlement. 3 1 15. The Settlement Agreement is binding on, and has res judicata and preclusive effect in, 2 all pending and future lawsuits or other proceedings maintained by or on behalf of Plaintiff and any 3 other Class Members, as well as their heirs, executors, personal representatives, conservators and 4 administrators, predecessors, successors, and assigns that allege Released Claims, as defined in the 5 Settlement Agreement. 6 16. Neither this Final Order and Judgment, nor the Settlement Agreement, nor any other 7 document referred to herein or therein, nor any action taken to carry out this Final Order and 8 Judgment or the Settlement Agreement is, may be construed as, or may be used as an admission or 9 concession by or against Great American of the validity of any claim or any actual or potential fault, 10 wrongdoing or liability whatsoever. Entering into or carrying out the Settlement Agreement, and any 11 negotiations or proceedings relating to it, shall not in any event be construed as, or deemed evidence 12 of, an admission or concession as to Great American’s denials or defenses, and shall not be offered 13 or received in evidence in any action or proceeding against any party hereto in any court, 14 administrative agency or other tribunal for any purpose whatsoever, except as evidence of the 15 Settlement or to enforce the provisions of this Final Order and Judgment or the Settlement 16 Agreement; provided, however, that this Final Order and Judgment and the Settlement Agreement 17 may be filed in any action against or by Great American or Releasees to support a defense of res 18 judicata, collateral estoppel, release, waiver, good-faith Settlement, judgment bar or reduction, full 19 faith and credit, or any other theory of claim preclusion, issue preclusion or similar defense or 20 counterclaim to the extent allowed by law. 21 17. The Parties are authorized, without further approval from the Court, to agree to and 22 adopt such non-substantive amendments, modifications, or expansions of the Settlement Agreement 23 and all exhibits attached thereto that are consistent with this Final Order and Judgment, and do not 24 limit the rights of Class Members under the Settlement Agreement. Any substantive amendments, 25 modifications, or expansions of the Settlement Agreement and the exhibits attached thereto shall 26 require prior approval by the Court. 27 28 18. Any work product retained by Plaintiff or Class Counsel that is based on or incorporates information designated as Confidential pursuant to the terms of the Protective Order 4 1 previously entered in this case and provided by Great American shall be deemed Confidential 2 Information pursuant to the terms of the Protective Order, and the disclosure or use of such materials 3 shall be subject to the same restrictions as Confidential Information pursuant to the terms of the 4 Protective Order previously entered in this case. 5 19. This Action (and all individual claims and Class claims presented thereby) is 6 dismissed on the merits and with prejudice, without fees or costs to any party except as provided in 7 the Settlement Agreement. The judgment is binding upon all Class Members and upon Great 8 American and extinguishes all claims of Class Members (a) that were alleged, or that could be 9 alleged, based upon, or arise from, the matters that were alleged in the Action or (b) that were 10 11 released pursuant to the Settlement Agreement. 20. Each and every Class Member who has not been excluded from the Settlement, the 12 Class Member’s representatives, and/or all persons in active concert or participation with such Class 13 Members are permanently barred and enjoined from filing, commencing, prosecuting, maintaining, 14 intervening in, participating in, conducting, or continuing, as class members or otherwise, any 15 action, including without limitation a class action (including by seeking to amend a pending 16 complaint to include class allegations or by seeking class certification in a pending action in any 17 jurisdiction) in any federal court, any state court, or any other tribunal or forum of any kind, and 18 from receiving any benefits from any lawsuit, administrative or regulatory proceeding or order in 19 any jurisdiction, arising out of, based on, or relating to the claims, causes of actions, facts, and/or 20 circumstances alleged in the Action and/or the Released Claims. 21 21. Section 1715(b) of the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005 requires a settling 22 defendant to “serve upon the appropriate State official of each State in which a class member resides 23 and the appropriate Federal official” a specified group of documents describing the settlement. 24 Pursuant to section 1715(d), final approval cannot be issued earlier than 90 days after notice is given 25 under section 1715(b). Great American served the necessary documents upon the appropriate 26 officials not later than October 8, 2017. This order is signed more than 90 days after Great 27 American served the documents. The Court therefore finds that Great American is in full compliance 28 with the Class Action Fairness Act, 28 U.S.C. section 1715. 5 1 22. There being no just reason for delay, the Court, in the interests of justice, expressly 2 directs the Clerk of the Court to enter this Final Order and Judgment, and hereby decrees that, upon 3 entry, it be deemed a final judgment. Counsel jointly to provide a final accounting/report forty-five 4 (45) days from the date hereof. 5 IT IS SO ORDERED. 6 7 March 28, 2018 DATED: _____________________________ Hon. Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers United States District Judge 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 6 EXHIBIT 1 1 2 3 4 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 5 FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 6 OAKLAND DIVISION 7 8 9 10 JOYCE GOERTZEN, an individual, individually and on behalf of herself all similarly-situated persons, by and through her power of attorney BEVERLY KRAUS, 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Plaintiff, v. Case No.: 4:16-cv-00240-YGR ORDER PRELIMINARILY APPROVING CLASS SETTLEMENT, DIRECTING ISSUANCE OF NOTICE TO THE CLASS, AND SETTING OF FAIRNESS HEARING Hon. Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers GREAT AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, and DOES 1-50 Defendants. 1 The motion of Plaintiff Joyce Goertzen, individually and on behalf of the class, as defined in 2 the Settlement Agreement, attached hereto as Exhibit A, for preliminary approval of the proposed 3 class action Settlement reached with Defendant Great American Life Insurance Company (“Great 4 American”) came on for hearing before this Court on October 31, 2017. Robert D. Phillips, Jr., 5 appeared as attorney for Great American, and Ingrid M. Evans appeared as attorney for Plaintiff. 6 After considering the Settlement Agreement, the moving papers, arguments of counsel, and all other 7 matters presented to the Court, the Court finds that: 8 9 1. Plaintiff filed a Class Action Complaint in this Action on December 1, 2015, alleging violations of California’s Business and Professions Code §17200 and California’s Elder Abuse 10 statute – Cal. Welfare & Institutions Code § 15600, et seq. The Complaint alleges that Great 11 American did not properly disclose the surrender charges on the face page of certain contracts issued 12 in California to persons aged 60 or older. 13 2. Great American denies any and all wrongdoing alleged in the pleadings and 14 Plaintiff’s other filings, and does not admit or concede any actual or potential fault, wrongdoing, or 15 liability in connection with any facts or claims that have been or could have been alleged against it in 16 the Action. Great American has asserted numerous legal and factual defenses to the Action. It 17 contends its annuity products are lawful and beneficial and that Plaintiff received adequate notice of 18 any applicable surrender charges. Great American contends that Plaintiff’s allegations do not state a 19 cause of action and are not sustainable as a matter of law. In addition, Great American contends that 20 Plaintiff would be unable to prove the elements of the causes of action at trial, and that this would be 21 fatal to both her individual and class claims. 22 3. The proposed Settlement resulted from an arm’s-length mediation session before the 23 Honorable Ronald M. Sabraw (Ret.) and was concluded only after Plaintiff and Great American 24 conducted their own investigations and evaluation of the factual and legal issues raised by Plaintiff’s 25 claims and Great American’s defenses. 26 4. Plaintiff and Class Counsel have agreed to settle the Action after considering such 27 factors as (a) the benefits to Plaintiff and the Class provided by the Settlement Agreement; (b) the 28 risks and uncertainty of litigation, and the difficulties and delays inherent in such litigation; and (c) 1 1 the desirability of consummating the Settlement Agreement in order to provide relief to Plaintiff and 2 the Class. Great American considers it desirable to settle and dismiss this Action because this 3 proposed Settlement will finally put Plaintiff’s claims and the underlying matters to rest. Great 4 American is also entering into this Settlement Agreement to avoid the expense, burden, 5 inconvenience, and inherent risk of litigation and the concomitant disruption of its business 6 operations. 7 5. The Parties have entered into the Settlement Agreement attached hereto as Exhibit A, 8 which was previously filed with this Court and attached as Exhibit 1 to the declaration of Ingrid M. 9 Evans. 10 6. The Court has reviewed the Settlement Agreement and all the attachments thereto and 11 determined the proposed Settlement to be fair, reasonable, adequate, and within the range of possible 12 approval. The proposed Settlement does not improperly grant preferential treatment to the Plaintiff 13 or any segment of the Class. The proposed Settlement is sufficient to warrant sending notice to the 14 Class. The procedures for establishing and administering the benefits provided by the proposed 15 Settlement and for notice of the proposed Settlement, exclusion from the proposed Settlement, and 16 objections to the proposed Settlement are fair, reasonable, and in the best interests of the Class. 17 7. Based on Plaintiff’s motion, the Memorandum of Points and Authorities, the 18 Settlement Agreement, and all supporting exhibits and attachments, the Court preliminarily certifies 19 for settlement purposes the Class, as defined in Section II.13 of the Settlement Agreement, pursuant 20 to Rules 23(a) and 23(b)(3). The Court hereby finds for settlement purposes that: 21 (a) the numerosity requirement of Rule 23(a)(1) is satisfied because the proposed 22 settlement Class, comprised of more than 4,000 class members, satisfies the requirement that a class 23 be sufficiently numerous such that joinder of all members is impracticable; 24 (b) the commonality requirement of rule 23(a)(2) is satisfied because the Great 25 American products owned by the various Class Members all have the same language on their cover 26 pages; 27 28 (c) the typicality requirement of Rule 23(a)(3) is satisfied because the Great American product issued to Plaintiff was similar to those issued to the other members of the Class; 2 1 (d) the adequacy requirement of rule 23(a)(4) is satisfied because (i) Class 2 Counsel is qualified and competent to prosecute the Action vigorously, (ii) Plaintiff’s interests are 3 not antagonistic to the interests of the Class, and (iii) Class Counsel and Plaintiff have fairly and 4 adequately protected the interests of the Class; and 5 (e) in the context of settlement, common questions “‘predominate over any 6 questions affecting only individual members’” and “class resolution [is] ‘superior to other available 7 methods for the fair and efficient adjudication of the controversy.’” Amchem Products, Inc. v. 8 Windsor, 521 U.S. 591, 615 (1997). 9 8. The Court has reviewed the notice provisions of Section V of the Settlement 10 Agreement and the form of Class Notice attached to the Settlement Agreement as Exhibit A 11 hereto. The Court has determined that mailing the Class Notice to the last known addresses of the 12 Class Members: 13 (a) constitutes the best practicable notice under the circumstances; 14 (b) is reasonably calculated to apprise Class Members of the pendency of the 15 Action and of their right to object to or exclude themselves from the proposed Settlement; 16 17 (c) persons entitled to receive notice; and 18 19 is reasonable and constitutes due, adequate, and sufficient notice to all (d) meets all applicable requirements of Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the United States Constitution, and its Amendments. 20 Accordingly, the Court ORDERS as follows; 21 1. The Motion for Preliminary Approval is GRANTED. The Court preliminarily 22 approves the proposed Settlement. All defined terms in the foregoing findings and this Order shall 23 have the same meanings as in the Settlement Agreement. 24 25 2. The Class, as defined in Section II.13 of the Settlement Agreement, is preliminarily certified for settlement purposes only. 26 3. The Court appoints Evans Law Firm, Inc. as Class Counsel. 27 4. A hearing (the “Fairness Hearing”) will be held on March 27, 2018, at 28 2:00PM before the undersigned in the United States District Court for the Northern District of 3 1 California, Oakland Division, to consider the fairness, reasonableness, and adequacy of the 2 proposed Settlement and whether it should be finally approved by the Court. The parties are 3 to submit a motion for Final Approval no later than January 5, 2018. 4 5 6 5. Agreement as Exhibit A hereto and the plan for giving notice. 6. 7 8 The Court approves the proposed Class Notice attached to Settlement Great American and Class Counsel are authorized to: (a) establish the means necessary to administer the proposed Settlement, in accordance with the terms of the Settlement Agreement; and 9 (b) 10 including the notice provisions. 11 12 13 7. retain an Administrator to help administer the proposed Settlement, The Court appoints KCC as the Administrator to implement the terms of the Settlement Agreement. 8. The Administrator shall mail the Class Notice to each Class Member by first-class 14 mail, postage prepaid, to his or her last known address no later than 14 days after entry of this 15 Order, as described in the Settlement Agreement. 16 17 18 19 20 9. The Administrator shall file proof of the mailing of the Class Notice as part of the Motion for Final Approval. 10. Class Counsel shall file its motion for approval of Class Counsel’s fees, expenses, and class representative service awards no later than January 5, 2018. 11. The Court approves the Claim Form attached to the Settlement Agreement as Exhibit 21 B hereto. To be valid, any Claim Form must be submitted to the Settlement Administrator in the 22 manner provided in the Claim Form no later than February 28, 2018. 23 24 12. Great American is prohibited from communicating with Class Members about the Action or the Settlement, but Great American is not precluded from: 25 (a) speaking to Class Members in the ordinary course of Great American’s 26 business, provided that if Class Members contact Great American regarding the Action or the 27 Settlement, Great American shall direct such Class Members to contact the Administrator or Class 28 Counsel; or 4 1 (b) communicating with agents and employees of Great American or 2 communicating with its auditors, rating agencies, insurance commissioners, regulators, or similar 3 reporting organizations or governmental entities regarding the impact and/or administration of the 4 Settlement. 5 13. Each Class Member who wishes to exclude himself or herself from the Class must 6 submit an appropriate, timely written request for exclusion, postmarked no later than January 4, 7 2018. 8 14. Any Class Member who does not submit a timely, written request for exclusion from 9 the Class shall be bound by all proceedings, orders, and judgments in the Action, even if such Class 10 Member has previously initiated or subsequently initiates individual litigation or other proceedings 11 against Great American relating to Annuities issued during the Class Period. 12 15. Each Class Member who wishes to object to the fairness, reasonableness, or adequacy 13 of the Settlement Agreement, the proposed Settlement, or to the award of attorneys’ fees and 14 expenses shall file with the Court, no later than January 4, 2018, a notice of objection setting forth 15 the following information: (i) a notice of the Class Member’s or the Class Member’s counsel’s 16 (retained at the Class Member’s own expense) intent to appear at the Fairness Hearing; (ii) a detailed 17 statement of the Class Member’s objections to any matter before the Court; (iii) the grounds or 18 reasons why the Class Member wishes to appear and to be heard; (iv) any documents and writings 19 that the Class Member wishes the Court to consider; and (v) a statement of any prior class settlement 20 objections made and any fee arrangements made with an attorney regarding any objections, 21 including the objection to this Settlement. Unless the notice of objection sets forth this information 22 and is timely submitted, the Class Member is forever barred from separately objecting. 23 16. The Administrator shall rent one or more post-office boxes to be used for receiving 24 requests for exclusion from the Class and any other communications, and no one other than the 25 Court or the Clerk of the Court and the Administrator shall have access to these post-office boxes. 26 27 17. Upon receipt of any request for exclusion, the Administrator shall immediately forward a copy of the exclusion request to Class Counsel and Great American’s Counsel. 28 5 1 18. Great American’s Counsel and Class Counsel shall promptly furnish each other with 2 copies of any and all written requests for exclusion that might come into their possession that are not 3 otherwise provided by the Administrator. 4 19. All proceedings in the Action are stayed until further order of the Court, except as 5 may be necessary to implement the proposed Settlement or to comply with the terms of the 6 Settlement Agreement. Further, pending the Court’s final determination of whether the proposed 7 Settlement will be approved, each and every Class Member who has not excluded himself or herself 8 from the Settlement, the Class Member’s representatives, and/or all persons in active concert or 9 participation with such Class Members are barred and enjoined from filing, commencing, 10 prosecuting, maintaining, intervening in, participating in, conducting, or continuing, as class 11 members or otherwise, any action, including without limitation a class action (including by seeking 12 to amend a pending complaint to include class allegations or by seeking class certification in a 13 pending action in any jurisdiction), in any federal court, any state court, or any other tribunal or 14 forum of any kind, and from receiving any benefits from any lawsuit, administrative or regulatory 15 proceeding or order in any jurisdiction, arising out of, based on, or relating to the claims, causes of 16 actions, facts, and/or circumstances alleged in the Action and/or the Released Claims. 17 20. This Order shall become null and void, and shall be without prejudice to the rights of 18 the Parties, all of whom shall be restored to their respective positions existing immediately before 19 this Court entered this Order, if: (a) the proposed Settlement is not finally approved by the Court, or 20 does not become final, pursuant to the terms of the Settlement Agreement; or (b) the Settlement is 21 terminated in accordance with the terms of the Settlement Agreement or does not become effective 22 as required by the terms of the Settlement Agreement for any other reason. In such event, the 23 Settlement and Settlement Agreement shall become null and void and be of no further force and 24 effect, and neither the Settlement Agreement nor the Court’s orders, including this Order, shall be 25 used or referred to for any purpose whatsoever. 26 21. In no event shall the Settlement Agreement, any of its provisions, or any negotiations, 27 statements, or proceedings relating to it be offered as, received as, used as, or deemed to be evidence 28 in the Action, any other action, or in any other proceeding, except in a proceeding to enforce the 6 1 Settlement Agreement. Without limiting the foregoing, neither the Settlement Agreement nor any 2 related negotiations, statements, or proceedings shall be offered as, used as, or deemed to be 3 evidence or an admission or concession by any person of any matter, including but not limited to any 4 liability or wrongdoing on the part of Great American or as evidence of the appropriateness of 5 certification of any class. 6 22. The Court reserves the right to continue the Fairness Hearing without further written 7 notice to the Class, but will notify counsel for the Parties and any objectors or their counsel who 8 have timely filed a notice of intention to appear in these proceedings. Unless the Court specifically 9 orders otherwise, any such continuance shall not be interpreted to expand or change any deadlines 10 11 contained in this Order or the Settlement Agreement. IT IS SO ORDERED. 12 November 6, 2017 13 DATED: _____________________________ Hon. Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers United States District Judge 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 7 EXHIBIT 1A EXHIBIT TO THE COURT'S ORDER TO THE SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT TO THE SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT TO THE SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT TO THE SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT TO THE COURT'S ORDER EXHIBIT 2

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