Fired California insurance judge sues over alleged illegal rate hike approvals

A former administrative judge in California’s Insurance Department has filed a lawsuit against Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and his former special counsel, according to Palo Alto Online.

The judge, who was fired last year, alleges that the commissioner and his counsel illegally approved insurance rate hikes and undermined the judicial branch within the department.

The lawsuit was originally reported by CalMatters and highlights concerns about the approval process for insurance rate increases in California.

The lawsuit alleges illegal approval of insurance rate increases and undermining of the judicial branch, but further details about the claims or potential impacts have not been provided.