Wolf Popper and co-counsel at Susman Godfrey represent patients who received a surprise bill for out-of-network emergency room procedures at 21 hospitals managed by Defendants in California. On May 28, 2026, Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl granted Plaintiff’s motion for class certification. In doing so, Judge Kuhl recognized that the central issue in the case is “whether a patient received a bill from Physician Defendants for a service, and whether the amount charged for that service exceeded the reasonable value.”
In the same decision, Judge Kuhl denied Defendants’ motion to file a counterclaim against the Plaintiff, finding that Defendants acted in bad faith when they waited to attempt to bring a claim more than five years after they could have, and after Plaintiff had an opportunity to take discovery on the issue.