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`BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
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`LIBERTY MUTUAL INSURANCE CO.
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`Petitioner
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`V.
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`PROGRESSIVE CASUALTY INSURANCE CO.
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`Patent Owner
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`Case CBMZ012-00004 (JL)
`Patent 6,064,970
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`Declaration of Michael J. Miller
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`PI[-l266628v2
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`Progressive Exhibit 2011
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`Liberty Mutual V. Progressive
`CBM2012-00004
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`
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`Declaration of Michael J. Miller
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`1, Michael J. Miller, hereby declare under penalty of perjury:
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`Scope of Assignment
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`1.
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`I was retained by the law firm of Jones Day, on behalf of the Progressive
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`Casualty Insurance Company (“Progressive”), to render opinions regarding the
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`determination of vehicle insurance premiums.
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`2.
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`All of my statements and opinions herein are based on my training and
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`education as an actuary, and on my forty-four years of work experience with the
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`pricing, underwriting, and marketing of private passenger auto and commercial
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`vehicle insurance. Unless noted otherwise, my statements and opinions reflect the
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`understanding as of January 1996 of a person of ordinary skill in the art of pricing
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`and underwriting of motor vehicle insurance.
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`3.
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`My retention agreement with Jones Day calls for me to be compensated
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`at my normal rate of $450 per hour, plus out-of-pocket travel expenses.
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`Qualifications
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`4.
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`I am the owner of EPIC Consulting, LLC and am currently the sole
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`consulting actuary at EPIC. EPIC is an independent. consulting firm that provides
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`consulting services to the insurance industry related to the pricing, marketing, and
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`underwriting of property/casualty insurance.
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`5.
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`I am a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society (“CAS”), having first
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`qualified for membership in the CAS in 1971. I have been elected to two terms on
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`the CAS Board of Directors.
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`1 have also served the CAS as Vice President for
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`Research/DeveIOpment, as the Chair of the CAS Risk Classification Committee, and
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`as the Chair of the CAS Committee on Principles of Ratemaking. As Chair of the
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`Ratemaking Committee, I was the principal drafter of the Statement of Ratemaking
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`Principles.
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`6.
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`In the past, I have served the Actuarial Standards Board as the Chair of
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`the Property/ Casualty Operating Committee. In that capacity I was responsible for
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`drafting several Actuarial Standards of Practice applicable to all prOperty/casualty
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`lines of insurance.
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`7.
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`I began my actuarial career at State Farm Insurance in November 1967.
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`My entire career at State Farm was in the Auto Actuarial Department where-I was
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`directly involved in the determination of insurance premiums for both private
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`passenger autos and commercial motor vehicles. My work at State Farm started as an
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`actuary trainee, doing the arithmetical calculations necessary to determine auto
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`insurance premiums. In approximately four years I was promoted to a position of
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`manager where I was responsible for pricing State Farm’s auto insurance coverages
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`in the eastern one-third of the United States and the five Canadian provinces in which
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`State Farm operated.
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`8.
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`During the last four or five years of my State Farm career I was
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`responsible for State Farm’s auto insurance rate filings throughout the United States
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`and Canada. I was also a member of a management team responsible for the pricing,
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`underwriting, marketing, and servicing of auto insurance.
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`9.
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`During my entire career at State Farm, I was directly involved in the
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`design, implementation, and administration of private passenger auto and commercial
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`vehicle insurance rating plans. My work involved those instances when State Farm
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`introduced new risk characteristics into its auto insurance risk classification plans.
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`10.
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`I left State Farm in 1984 and became an actuarial and management
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`consultant. As a consultant I have provided a wide variety of actuarial and
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`management consulting services involving many different property and casualty lines
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`of business. Over my 29-year career as a consultant, I estimate that the greatest
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`emphasis of my practice has been related to personal auto and residential property
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`insurance. At one time or the other, I have provided consulting services to most of
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`the major insurers in the United States and to several state insurance regulators.
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`1 1. During my career as a consultant I have been involved with the
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`formation of a new insurance company that tested new and innovative risk
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`characteristics and introduced new risk characteristics into its risk classification plan.
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`I have also consulted many times with established insurers regarding significant
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`revisions to their existing rating plans, including the use of new risk characteristics.
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`12.
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`Exhibit 2015 is a copy of my curriculum vitae, which sets forth my
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`experience, qualifications, and publications.
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`Person of Ordinagy Skill in the Art
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`13.
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`I understand that the Board in this matter has stated that a person of
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`ordinary skill in the field of determining vehicle insurance premiums as of 1996
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`would have a BS. in mathematics (or equivalent degree); would have at least five
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`years of actual work experience in the insurance industry determining premiums for
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`auto insurance; and would be at least an Associate member of the CAS.
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`1 will apply
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`this level of skill in my analysis in this matter and will assume that this level of skill
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`applies to a person of ordinary skill in the art (sometimes abbreviated below as
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`“POSITA”).
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`14.
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`It is unlikely that a person of ordinary skill as of 1996 would have had
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`the opportunity to obtain actual work experience introducing a new risk characteristic
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`into a risk classification system. As of 1996, making improvements in the accuracy
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`of assessing automobile risk, including the introduction of new risk characteristics for
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`determining auto insurance premiums, was a slow and deliberate process throughout
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`the auto insurance industry. The person of ordinary skill would not have had
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`experience using or applying fuzzy logic to the determination of insurance premiums,
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`but would have been relatively sophisticated in the use of multi-variant statistical
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`analysis of risk classification data. The person of ordinary skill in the art would not
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`have had experience using telematics data to determine the cost of insurance.
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`Materials Reviewed
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`15.
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`In preparing this Declaration, I have considered the following materials
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`listed:
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`a.
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`b.
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`c.
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`d.
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`e.
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`The ‘970 patent (EX. 1001).
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`Pettersen (Ex. 1005).
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`Herrod (Ex. 1007).
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`The Board’s Institution Decision (Paper 10).
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`Other materials cited in this Declaration.
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`Definition of Terms
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`16.
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`In the field of motor vehicle insurance as of 1996, a person or ordinary
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`skill in the art would have understood that “actuarial class” had the same meaning as
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`risk class. An actuarial class, or risk class, is a grouping of risks (i.e., insureds) with
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`similar risk characteristics and expected insurance claims loss (or insurance costs). A
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`person of ordinary skill in the art would have applied actuarial standards in creating
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`and evaluating a risk characteristic’s eligibility to be the basis for the establishment of
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`an actuarial class. Actuarial class claims data is used to determine. expected insurance
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`claims loss. This definition is consistent with the definition in the Risk Classification
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`Statement of Principles of the American Academy of Actuaries. A person of ordinary
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`skill in the art in 1996 would have adhered to this Statement of Principles.
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`17.
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`A risk characteristic is a measurable or observable factor or
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`characteristic that. has been found to be predictive of future insurance losses.
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`18.
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`The future insurance loss (i.e., risk of loss) being estimated is the
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`product of the probability of an occurrence of an insured claim times the likely cost
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`of the claim. Because the probability of an insurance claim occurring is a different
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`value than the probability of an auto accident occurring, auto insurance rates are
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`typiCally calculated based on the likelihood of claim occurrence, not the likelihood of
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`accident occurrence.
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`19. An actuarial class for a particular risk characteristic has a risk factor
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`associated with the risk characteristic. A risk factor is a numerical value for that
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`actuarial class and is used to calculate the expected loss for an insured. The
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`numerical value is a ratio of the expected loss. of one actuarial class to another. The
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`expected loss for an insured is sometimes called the “pure premium.”
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`20. An actuarial class also has a rate factor associated with it. A rate factor
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`is a numerical value for the actuarial class that is used to calculate the premiums for
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`an insured.
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`It relates to the difference in premiums charged to insureds. The rate
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`factor reflects not only the differences in the expected losses (i.e., the risk factor), but
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`also the differences in expected expenses and all other components of the insurance
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`rate.
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`21. An insurance exposure base reflects the risk being insured and is the. unit
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`of coverage upon which the insurance premium is calculated. For each of the private
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`passenger auto insurance coverages, and most commercial vehicle insurance.
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`coverages, the exposure base is per insured vehicle. Premiums for auto insurance are
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`typically not calculated or quoted on a per person or per‘ driver basis.
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`22.
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`The “rated-driver” is the Specific driver among multiple drivers in the
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`household, whose risk characteristics impact on the premium calculation for a
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`specific insured auto.
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`Background Regarding Determination of Auto Insurance Premiums
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`23.
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`Insurance is generally described as the transfer of risk of financial loss
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`arising from the accidental events described in the insurance policy. In the case of
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`auto insurance the risk being transferred to the insurer is generally described as the
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`risk of a financial loss arising from the ownership and operation of the insured
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`vehicle. The premium is calculated to reflect the total insured risk associated with the
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`OWnership and operation of a vehicle that potentially has multiple operators.
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`24.
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`The insureds under a personal auto insurance policy are the named
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`insured(s) listed on the policy’s declaration page, as well as all relatives resident in
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`the household. The auto insurance policy is written so as to cover the risk associated
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`with the ownership and operation of a specific car, rather than written on a per
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`insured-person basis.
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`25.
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`The insurance premium charged for the transfer of risk is determined so
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`as to reasonably reflect both the degree of risk being transferred to the insurer and the
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`expected operational expenses of the insurer. Generally speaking, the greater the risk
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`being transferred, the higher the premium. Due to the influence of the expense
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`provisions in the premium calculations, the total premium may not be directly
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`proportional to the degree of risk.
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`26. An insurance premium reflects more than the degree of risk being
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`transferred. In addition to provisions for expected future claim costs and claim
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`settlement expenses, an insurance premium also includes provisions for expected
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`operational and administrative expenses, and the insurer’s cost of capital. The
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`difference between any two insurance premiums will not be identical to the difference
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`in the degree of risk being transferred because the premium must also include
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`provisions for operating expenses and profit.
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`27. Auto insurance rates and premiums are regulated in the United States on
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`a state-by-state basis. While the rate regulatory laws do vary from state to state, there
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`is much in common. Nearly all states require auto insurance rates to be adequate, not
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`excessive, and not unfairly discriminatory. These. three rate standards are applied to
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`the total premium for each auto insurance coverage and are not applied separately to
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`each component of the premium.
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`28.
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`Insurance rates and premiums are generally considered to be fairly
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`discriminatory if, allowing for practical limitations, any premium differences
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`reasonably reflect differences in expected losses and expenses. The burden is
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`typically on the insurer to demonstrate to the regulator that its insurance rates are
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`fairly discriminatory, and neither excessive nor inadequate.
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`29. Demonstration that an insurer’s rates comply with the statutory rate
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`standards typically involves consideration of past and prospective loss experience of
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`the insurer, the experience of other rate filers, business judgment, and all other
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`relevant information and data within and outside the state. Any claims data gathered
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`by the insurer via its risk classification plan, when combined with the insurer’s
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`expense data, can be important in convincing the insurance regulator that the
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`insurance premiums in question are fairly discriminatory. However, there are
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`instances when the premiums must be justified on some basis other than risk
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`classification data because credible claims data by risk class are either not available,
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`or an alternative approach is preferable.
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`30.
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`In the case of auto insurance, it is not an insured person that is being
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`“assigned” to an actuarial class of similar risks. It is the premium charged, and any
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`future claim losses, associated with the insured car that are coded to an actuarial class
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`for each of the risk characteristics used in determining the premium for the insured
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`car.
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`31.
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`For example, assume the premium for an insured car is determined based
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`on only three risk characteristics: the rated-driver of the insured car is an adult driver,
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`the coverage is subject to a $500 deductible, and the insured. is eligible for a claims-
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`free discount. The insurer’s policyholder records for this insured car will reflect a
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`separate code for each of the three risk characteristics (i.e., adult driver, $500
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`deductible, and claims-free). When analyzing the difference in risk between adult
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`drivers and youthful drivers, the premium and claims data of our hypothetical insured.
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`car will be included with the adult risk class. When analyzing the difference in risk
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`between a $500 deductible and a $250 deductible, the premium and claims data of
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`our hypothetical insured car will be. included with the $500 deductible risk class.
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`When analyzing the difference in risk between insureds that are claims-free and those
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`that are not, the premium and claims data of our hypothetical insured car will be
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`included with the claims—free risk class.
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`32.
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`The premium and loss data from each actuarial class are the basis for
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`determining risk factors (and rate factors), which I mentioned above. The risk factors
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`derived from the actuarial class data, in conjunction with an insurer’s operating
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`expenses, become the basis for determining rate factors that are associated with each
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`risk characteristic. An insurer’s base rate or base premium, after adjustment using all
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`the rate factors applicable to a specific insured, results in the actual premium for each
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`auto insurance coverage, for each specific insured auto.
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`33.
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`Returning again to our hypothetical example, assume the insurer utilizes
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`a base rate, or base premium, of $400 which applies to an adult-rated auto with a
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`$250 deductible and no claim-free credit. Further, assume the rate factor is .85 for a
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`$500 deductible coverage and a rate factor of .90 is applied if the insured qualifies for
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`a claim-free credit. Under this scenario the insurance premium will be $3 06 (i.e.,
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`$400 base rate X 1.00 adult factor x .85 deductible factor x .90 claim-free credit).
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`34. When selecting risk characteristics to use in a risk classification system,
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`the POSITA would have adhered to certain actuarial standards. These standards
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`include statistical considerations such as the homogeneity, credibility, and predictive
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`reliability of the claims data that will be gathered for each actuarial class. There are
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`also some operational standards for actuarial classes including: the practicality and
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`cost effectiveness of administering the actuarial class; the degree of objectivity in
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`defining the risk characteristic; and the inability of the insured to manipulate or
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`misrepresent the risk characteristic. Exhibit 2012 is a copy of standards in effect as
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`of 1996.
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`35.
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`I have read the Declaration of Mary L. O’Neil (BX. 101 1).
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`I disagree
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`with certain of her opinions expressed in paragraph 21 of her declaration. Ms. O’Neil
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`states that “generat[ing] actuarial classes of insurance that group operators or vehicles
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`having a similar risk characteristic and bas[ing] insurance rates on these classes .
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`.
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`.
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`is required in order to produce insurance rates that meet the statutory standard of not
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`being unfairly discriminating,” citing the New York Guide (page 14). Ms. O’Neil is
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`correct that New York regulations (and those in other states) require that vehicle
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`insurance rates not be unfairly discriminatory, but they do not require that claims data
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`generated by an actuarial class he used to avoid unfair discrimination in rates. Ms.
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`O’Neil also states that “[t]his practice of generating actuarial classes arose out of the
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`rating law standards adopted by most states beginning in 1946 based on the NAIC
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`Model Law from 1946 .
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`. .,” citing an article that I authored. This is incorrect. The.
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`practice of generating actuarial classes predated 1946 by many years, and my article
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`does not indicate otherwise.
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`The Pettersen Reference
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`3.6.
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`Pettersen discloses an apparatus to monitor the operation of an auto with
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`respect to the speed and acceleration/retardation of the car. I understand that
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`distances driven are recorded for each of several speed intervals and for each of
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`several acceleration/retardation categories. Pettersen speculates that the readings
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`from the apparatus could be used by auto insurers to “set a more fair bonus
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`arrangement”. Pettersen does not mention or disclose actuarial classes, nor does it
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`discuss expected insurance losses.
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`37.
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`The speed and the acceleration/retardation data as described by Pettersen
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`provide insufficient information to be of value for assessing auto insurance risk. For
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`example, to be of some value for the determination of insurance premiums, the speed
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`data would need to be relatable to the speed limit or some other standard that could be
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`related to insurance risk at the time of operation.
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`38.
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`The data generated by the Pettersen monitoring apparatus cannot be used
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`to create an actuarial class for determining insurance premiums because the data
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`would not yield classes comprised of homogeneous risks. Two persons using the
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`Pettersen device may have identical speed and acceleration/retardation data, yet have
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`significantly different insurance risk. For example, driving 50 mph in a school zone
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`would have a significantly different risk compared to driving 50 mph on the highway,
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`but Pettersen does not treat these two differently".
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`39.
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`Pettersen originates from Europe. European insurance rate regulations
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`generally do not apply prohibitions against unfairly discriminatory premiums, as that
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`standard is defined in the United States. Accordingly, I do not infer that Pettersen’s
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`mention of a “more fair bonus arrangement” refers to state regulations in the US.
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`regarding fairly discriminatory premiums.
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`1 also do not infer that it is referring to
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`actuarial classes.
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`The Herrod Reference
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`40.
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`The Herrod reference involves electronic equipment for measuring and
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`recording certain driving behaviors of specific drivers. Certain acceleration data
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`obtained from each operator’s driving behavior is apparently stored on a removable
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`card or disk.
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`41. Herrod states that the data pertaining to each operator’s driving habits
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`could be used by “safe drivers” to “demonstrate their competence to insurance
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`companies.” Neither this statement nor any other part of Herrod’s disclosure would
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`have suggested to a POSITA that the data generated by the monitoring device of this
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`patent application had any relevance to, or application in, the creation of actuarial
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`classes or the use in the determination of auto insurance premiums. A POSITA
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`would have had little or no interest in Herrod, since it was directed principally to the
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`electronic equipment. A POSITA would have been aware that in 1996 insurance
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`companies did not require drivers to demonstrate their “driving competence” and, as
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`such, a POSITA would likely not have considered Herrod to have any meaningful
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`application or value to the field of determining insurance premiums. At most, a
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`POSITA may have understood that the reference in Herrod to a “demonstration of
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`competence” meant that the data could have been used by an insurer to determine a
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`driver’s eligibility to be offered insurance coverage. However, a POSITA would also.
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`have recognized that Herrod’s data was not suitable for that purpose since, as
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`explained below, the data is incomplete and unreliable for insurance purposes of
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`determining insurance premiums.
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`42.
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`One reason why a person of ordinary skill in the art would not have
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`understood that the data generated by Herrod’s monitoring equipment could be used
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`to determine auto insurance premiums is that the data is driver-specific. In other
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`words, the Herrod device separately records the acceleration data for a specific driver
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`onto a card or disk. (Ex. 1007 at 000003 ._) However, a POSITA would have
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`understood that to accurately determine an auto insurance premium, the risk
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`characteristics of all drivers resident in the household are needed. These data are
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`necessary so that the insurer can determine which of the operators in the household
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`should be the “rated-driver” on each insured car in the household. Herrod does not
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`disclose that all of the drivers in the household would have cards, and there is no
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`suggestion that they would.
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`43. A POSITA would have understood that the “behavioral groups”
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`disclosed in Herrod could not be actuarial classes. First, the Herrod behavioral
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`groups data is incomplete and would fail the actuarial standard for homogeneity.
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`Two persons using the Herrod device may have identical acceleration/retardation
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`data, yet have significantly different insurance. risk (e.g. , one person driving in a
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`congested urban area, another driving in a rural area). Because of this, a POSITA
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`would understand that two drivers could be slotted in the same behavioral group by
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`Herrod even though they would likely represent significantly different degrees of
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`insurance risk (i.e., risk of loss). As such, the Herrod data would have been of no use
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`to a POSITA in the establishment of new actuarial classes.
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`44.
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`The actuarial standards-provide for homogeneity in actuarial class data:
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`l.
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`Homogeneity
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`The expected costs for each of the. individual risks in a class
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`should be reasonably similar. In a given class, there should be no
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`clearly identifiable subclasses with significantly different potential
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`for losses. Significantly dissimilar risks should be assigned to
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`different classes.
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`The concept of homogeneity is based upon expected costs as
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`viewed when the risk is originally classified. It does not suggest
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`the system can or should precisely anticipate the subsequent actual
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`claim experience of a given insured risk. The occurrence, timing
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`and magnitude of an unforeseen event for a specific risk cannot be
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`predicted in advance. Thus, it is inevitable that not all risks in a
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`class will have identical actuarial claim experience. Instead, the
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`individual risks’ claim experience will be statistically distributed
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`around the average experience for the class. The concept of
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`homogeneity in no way is comprised by this inevitable outcome.
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`By the same token, differences in expected costs between classes
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`do not preclude the actual claim experience of risks in one class
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`from being the same as the actual claim experience of risks in
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`another class. This overlap phenomenon is both an anticipated
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`and, indeed, statistically inevitable ramification of any sound "risk
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`classification system.
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`45.
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`Further, a POSITA would have recognized that there was no way to
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`determine whether the acceleration data associated with a particular Herrod
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`behavioral group was actually representative of similar risk characteristics because
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`Herrod discloses no reliable means for collecting the data needed to make that
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`determination. Rather, Herrod discloses the use of “accident statistics .
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`.
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`. obtained
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`from a national survey of drivers using the device” for this purpose. (Ex. 1007 at
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`000002.) In determining actuarial classes and auto insurance premiums, it is claims
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`data that are used, not accident statistics. It is my opinion that data “obtained from a
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`national survey of drivers using the device” would be unreliable .for purposes of
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`establishing an actuarial class, such that no POSITA would have created an actuarial
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`class that depended on survey data. There would be no way for the insurer to identify
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`all the drivers using the Herrod equipment. And even if there were a way to identify
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`a population of drivers to survey, a POSITA would have no confidence in the
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`accuraCy of the survey results, since it is likely that those with recent accidents would
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`be under-represented in the people who responded.
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`Date: May II 2013-
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`Signature:
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`I'll-1 EMESVE
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`l9
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