“This addition to the Gerber family demonstrates the progress we are making in meeting our goal of growing our number of centers by 6-10 percent through single-location additions,” says Tim O’Day, president and chief operating officer of the Boyd Group’s U.S. operations. “Also, by increasing our footprint in the Seattle/Tacoma region we will be able to better serve our prospective and existing customers and our insurance partners.”

Interesting choice of words.

It looks like insurance companies are no longer customers. They are now "partners". So I guess steering evidently is no longer a bad thing, it is just keeping all the business within a family "partnership". Nice.

Based on recent FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request results, it appears that the 1963 Federal Judicial Decree to which the majority of this country's Auto insurers have voluntarily consented in order to avoid antitrust litigation should still be in full force and effect. The Decree essentially defined "steering" as far as the auto insurance industry and auto repair industry are concerned.

This Decree needs to be cited in every lawsuit involving steering. See

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK Civil No. 3106 Filed: October 23 1963 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Plaintiff, v. ASSOCIATION OF CASUALTY AND SURETY COMPANIES; AMERICAN MUTUAL INSURANCE ALLIANCE; and NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MUTUAL CASUALTY COMPANIES, Defendants.

There is really no incentive to enter into a "network" or DRP agreement with an insurer since the only benefit would be to get potential customers steered to you which violates the consent decree. For insurers to steer potential customers or contracted customers away from a repair facility also is a violation of the decree and public policy. It also undermines the consumers right to freely choose a repair facility.

The cause of action is tortuous interference.