Lippert Components Floats Class Deal Over Health Plan Smoker Fee

Lippert Components Inc. plans to settle a proposed class action by former employees who say the recreational vehicle part manufacturer wrongly discriminates against workers who smoke by charging them higher health insurance premiums.

The parties are finalizing a class-wide settlement agreement that they plan to submit for court approval in the next 30 days, they said in a status report filed Tuesday in the US District Court for the Northern District of Indiana. The filing didn’t include details about the agreement.

The eight-month-old lawsuit says Lippert’s employee health plan charges smokers an additional fee of $936 per year—$18 per week—in ...