Why Partner With Rust?
Experienced Team Dedicated to Property Cases
Clients work with a team dedicated solely to property matters. Many members of our property team have been with Rust for over 10 years. These skilled consultants help determine potential claim rates and settlement structures and continue to bring leadership, experience and value throughout the project.
Excellence in Complex and Unique Claims Processes
Our dedicated team is accustomed to administering complex and unique claims. For example, claim forms may require Rust team members to validate claims including attachments of property ownership documents, service records or even product samples.
Experience Working with Multiple Parties
Property settlements often involve many parties working together. Class counsel, defense counsel, defendant companies, inspection firms, special masters and claims-filing services all may be involved in the administration process. Rust’s experienced team successfully manages administration with fairness and neutrality for each respective party.
Expert Paid Media Notice Partner
Rust’s partner Kinsella Media designs and implements media notification programs that meet legal scrutiny and withstand collateral attack. Rust and Kinsella Media can work seamlessly together or separately to provide the best resources for media-based notice and claims administration on each case.
Selected Case Experience
Complex Claims Process Spans 10 Years
The administration of a major siding settlement included a complex claims process that required Rust staff to confirm that claimants owned properties in question, determine that the product in question was the product covered by the settlement (as opposed to another manufacturer’s product), and confirm that the product was damaged. While creating this process, Rust trained a staff member to become a national leader in siding identification. Rust oversaw the inspection process carried out by an independent inspection firm, incorporating that firm’s results into calculations and payments. Rust distributed $1 billion and answered more than 1 million phone calls in these 10-year programs.
Rust Works with Inspection Firm to Ensure Quality Administration
In a large property settlement, Rust personnel underwent training with the inspection firm hired to manage that process and accompanied inspectors on over a dozen inspections to thoroughly understand the processes and ensure the settlement agreement was properly administered. Kinsella Media created and executed two notice programs for the class, which included homeowners in the United States and Canada. The notice program included direct mail, paid media, earned media and electronic notice through an informational website.
Expansive Media Notice Campaign
To reach class members, Kinsella Media designed and implemented an expansive published notice campaign targeting adults 35+ and homeowners with homes valued at $200,000 or more. The multimedia program included national consumer magazines, national newspaper supplements and earned media activities including an audio news release. Through an analysis of sales and distribution records, Kinsella Media was able to target additional paid and earned media to local areas where the majority of the at-issue product was used. Rust distributed more than $13.5 million.