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"                      <p class=\"imgtitle\">Mudge</p>           A dispute involving the settlement of a 2005 Madison County class action against Cincinnati Insurance Company over Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) discounts will be heard March 24.<br /><br />Circuit Judge William Mudge has been considering whether to order payment to class member Illinois Bone and Joint Institute (IBJI) of more than $500,000.<br /><br />Cincinnati argues that the institute, one of a class of 32,000 health care providers led by chiropractor Frank Bemis that settled with the insurer for $3.5 million, did not follow the proper claim procedure.<br /><br />Bemis led the class against Cincinnati alleging the insurance company took PPO discounts on workers' compensation claims that it was not entitled to.<br /><br />The suit was one of a number of PPO class actions filed against various insurance companies in the middle of last decade before the Class Action Fairness Act went into effect.<br /><br />Cincinnati and the Bemis class settled last year.<br /><br />Bemis, as lead plaintiff, was awarded $5,000.<br /><br />Attorney Robert Schmieder II and the rest of the plaintiff's team were to receive more than $700,000 in fees.<br /><br />The insurance company has paid out $57,000 of more than $485,000 that IBJI submitted in claims.<br /><br />The company denied the rest alleging the institute did not submit the supporting documents needed to pay the claims.<br /><br />Mudge heard arguments presented by Schmieder II and Cincinnati counsel Omar Odland in December 2010 for and against paying the claims.<br /><br />Mudge took the matter under advisement.<br /><br />The parties also submitted additional briefings and documents for Mudge's review.<br /><br />The notice of the March 24 hearing was filed March 11.<br /><br /><i>The case is Madison case number 05-L-178.</i>"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://madisonrecord.com/stories/510570781-hearing-set-march-24-in-05-cincinnati-insurance-ppo-settlement-dispute>