If you opted out

Some policyholders who opted out of the national class action suit have jumped on board another suit gaining steam. One of the largest law firms in America -- Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro of California -- and one of the country's foremost trial lawyers, Ken Chiate, are taking on Prudential in hammering out a separate settlement. The plaintiffs are among the estimated 20,000 Prudential customers who "opted out" of the controversial settlement of the class action suit.

Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro teamed up with the firm of Wilner, Klein & Siegel of Beverly Hills. Together they filed a lawsuit in California seeking compensatory and punitive damages against Prudential. They also filed suits covering Florida, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington.

The two firms are now waiting to see if their suit is granted class action status. If you're not already involved in one these suits, however, it is too late to take part.

Prudential declined to comment for this article.

If you have questions about your claim or settlement, Prudential has a claimant helpline in place to answer your questions: 800-736-8913.

Editor's note: Prudential's class action settlement was upheld on July 23, 1998.
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