Navigating Class Action Lawsuits
Sarah Schmitz
Claim Manager, Intact Insurance Public Entities
From a legal standpoint, it's valuable to distinguish a class action lawsuit from traditional lawsuits. For your organization, the difference in cost between a traditional lawsuit and a class action lawsuit can be hundreds of thousands dollars, and the difference in preparation requires another extensive layer to coordinate your defense. It is important to understand the three tiers of lawsuits, and more importantly how to handle class action claims. The primary action is to focus on the class certification and to determine whether it can upheld to the requirements or if it will be easy to defeat because that can make the greatest difference in the case.
Sarah Schmitz
Claim Manager, Intact Insurance Public Entities
Summary of Qualifications
Sarah has worked as a claim manager and claims attorney at Intact Insurance Public Entities (formally OneBeacon Government Risk) for 11 years, handling a wide range of claims for small businesses, hospitals, public entities, law firms and real estate brokers.
Responsibilities
Sarah currently manages a team of claim attorneys and adjusters handling public entity claims including auto, general liability, law enforcement liability, public officials errors and omissions coverage, benefits coverage, and employment practices coverage. She also directly handles high exposure public entity claims directly.
Business Experience
Prior to working at Intact Insurance Public Entities, Sarah was a senior associate attorney at Minneapolis-based defense firm, Meagher & Geer. In that role, she was a member of the Insurance Coverage and Litigation/Insurance Defense groups.
Sarah clerked at Kennedy & Graven, a boutique municipal law firm for 2.5 years, working directly with local municipalities on a range of issues from takings, First Amendment issues, billboards, ordinance drafting and employment claims. Prior to law school, Sarah worked for the City of De Pere and the City of Green Bay, WI in the Park and Recreation and the Public Works departments.
Sarah served two terms on the Minnetonka, Minnesota Planning Commission.
ERM Experience
- Prior speaker at several National PRIMA and local PRIMA conferences.
- Prior speaker/panelist at National and Regional CLM conferences, DRI Insurance Coverage and Claims Institute, and Regional PLRB meetings.
Professional Affiliations
- Certification in Litigation Management (2018) from the CLM.
- Licensed Property and Casualty Adjuster (all states)
- Minnesota State Bar Member
- Co-Chair CLM Municipal Committee
- Director of Membership-CLM Twin Cities
- Prior PLRB Products and Services Committee Insurance Representative
Education
- JD from Hamline School of Law 2004.
- BA-University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire 1998 (BA-Communications/Business)
