By Laurence Darmiento, LOS ANGELES TIMES
A state administrative law judge is accusing California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara of denying her authority to review requests by insurers for rate increases, and later firing her after complaining the department wasn’t adhering to the law.
The Superior Court lawsuit filed by Kristin Rosi, the department’s former chief administrative law judge, takes issue with a longstanding practice (opens in new tab) in which insurance commissioners and regulators at the Department of Insurance, along with consumer groups, entered into negotiated settlements with insurers seeking rate hikes without her involvement.
Rosi claims the practice violates Proposition 103 (opens in new tab), the 1988 ballot measure that gives the insurance commissioner authority to review auto, home and other rate increases, but also guarantees public rate hearings and forbids premiums that are “excessive, inadequate, unfairly discriminatory or otherwise in violation of the Insurance Code.”
“Judge Rosi was in the unenviable position of indicating that the law must be followed,” said her attorney Wendy Musell. “Once she raised these concerns, she swiftly found herself out of a job.”
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Consumer Watchdog, an advocacy group founded by Proposition 103 author Harvey Rosenfield, has been the leading intervenor. That has earned the group criticism from the insurance industry, since it has received more than $15 million in intervenor fees. For its part, the group claims it has saved consumers (opens in new tab) more than $7 billion in unwarranted premium increases.
Rosenfield said Consumer Watchdog has complained about the department’s practice of not holding hearings since it began filing intervenor requests more than two decades ago.
“We protested vehemently. At the end of the day, the choice was don’t participate in the process and don’t watchdog the department’s handling of these cases, or participate and accept the limitations,” he said.
“It was my expectation that all rate challenges would go through a hearing process overseen by administrative law judges, regardless of the size of the increase,” he added.
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Consumer Watchdog · November 10, 2026
https://consumerwatchdog.org/in-the-news/los-angeles-times-judge-says-she-was-fired-after-objecting-to-settlements-with-insurers/
© 2026 Consumer Watchdog. Printed November 10, 2026.
