'Bribes' Are Rife in Insurance Industry, Suit Alleges

Updated from 1:31 p.m. EDT

A lawsuit that alleges some of the biggest insurance companies in the world have long bribed insurance salespeople to push their policies at the consumer level looks headed for trial in California -- and has captured the interest of regulators including Eliot Spitzer.

For the past three years, a lawsuit challenging these payments has been winding its way through the California court system, surviving challenge after challenge from the insurance industry.

More than a thorn in the side for the industry, the lawsuit could serve as a blueprint for regulators who are eager to show how some insurance companies were willing to pad the wallets of anyone who will push their product. ...