Florida drivers whose vehicles were declared total losses while insured by Star Casualty may qualify for refunds under a proposed class action settlement. The agreement provides payments for certain unpaid title and tag transfer fees and improper storage or towing deductions. Depending on the charges involved, an eligible claimant could receive up to $279.85 before interest and offsets for amounts already paid. Claims are due October 26, 2026.
The lawsuit, Maxim Kharevich v. Star Casualty Insurance Company, alleges that the insurer breached its automobile policies by leaving transfer fees out of total-loss payments and making improper deductions. Star Casualty denies wrongdoing and maintains that it followed its policies and applicable law. The court has not decided which side is right; the settlement still requires final approval.
Which Florida total-loss claims are covered?
The settlement concerns first-party claims under Florida automobile insurance policies issued by Star Casualty. The class definition covers the period from March 22, 2018, through June 26, 2026, and requires a claim adjusted as a total loss and settled on an actual cash value, or ACV, basis.
The payment must also have omitted some or all title and tag transfer fees, included deductions for excess storage or towing, or involved both issues. Having held a Star Casualty policy alone does not establish eligibility.
The notice lists exclusions, including people who received full transfer fees without a storage or towing deduction. It also excludes certain first-party property-damage claims for which an individual appraisal, arbitration or lawsuit had already been initiated or completed when the settlement agreement was filed. The full class definition and exclusions appear in the official notice.
How the refund is calculated
The agreement addresses two categories of charges. Eligible claimants may recover unpaid title transfer fees of up to $75.25 and tag transfer fees of up to $4.60, for a combined $79.85. They may also recover improper excess storage and towing deductions, capped at $25 per day for up to eight days, or $200.
Those limits add up to $279.85 when both categories apply at their maximum amounts. That figure is not a flat payment for every claimant. The settlement adds prejudgment interest on unpaid amounts and subtracts amounts previously paid for the same fees or storage.
The notice gives an example involving both missing transfer fees and a five-day storage deduction at $25 a day. That calculation produces $204.85 before interest and any applicable offsets.
Star Casualty will separately pay court-approved attorneys' fees and costs of up to $185,000. The proposed $5,000 service award for the class representative also requires court approval. According to the notice, those payments will not reduce class members' recoveries.
A claim form is required to receive money
Class members must submit a valid, complete and timely claim. Mailed forms must be postmarked by October 26, 2026. Online claims must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time that day.
Online submission requires the Claim ID and PIN supplied with the settlement notice. People who cannot find those credentials can email [email protected] with their last name and address for assistance. The administrator can also be reached at 1-800-290-2388, and a paper claim form can be requested.
The notice does not describe separate payment tiers for claims with and without receipts. Its instructions call for a completed claim form; the documentation requirements in the objection section should not be confused with the instructions for requesting a benefit.
September 14 is the earlier deadline for exclusions and objections
The deadline to request exclusion or object is September 14, 2026, several weeks before claims are due. These are different options with different consequences.
Under the notice, a valid exclusion request means giving up settlement payments while retaining the right to pursue the claims the settlement would otherwise resolve. Objecting means asking the court to consider concerns about the agreement while remaining in the class. Each option has specific submission requirements explained in the notice.
Class members who do nothing will receive no payment and, if the settlement takes effect, will be bound by its release of claims. The notice also sets September 14 as the deadline for a notice of intent to appear at the fairness hearing.
Final approval comes before payments
The fairness hearing is scheduled for October 12, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. in a virtual courtroom of the Circuit Court of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The notice warns that the hearing may change, so the official settlement website should be checked for updates.
Payments depend on final approval and resolution of any appeals or objections. The notice calls for distribution within 90 days of the settlement's Effective Date; that is not a promise of payment within 90 days of filing a claim or of the hearing.
The linked settlement details and original notice provide the eligibility rules, claim instructions and procedures for exclusions and objections. The official settlement website provides the online claim form and current court documents.