Larry Curtis - Mermentau, Louisiana Large Truck Accident Law Firm

June 13 2007 - Miss. attorney general sues State Farm

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood sued State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. on Monday, claiming the company failed to honor an agreement for a mass settlement of claims over Hurricane Katrina damage.

In January, Hood agreed to drop State Farm from a lawsuit his office filed against several insurance companies for refusing to cover damage to homes from Katrina's storm surge.

Hood did that after State Farm settled with lawyers for homeowners on a $50 million payout to about 35,000 southern Mississippi policyholders who hadn't sued the company but could have their claims reopened.

But the pact fell apart after a federal judge refused to endorse it. Hood has said he didn't negotiate the terms of that settlement and shared the judge's concerns about the deal.

The state is seeking compensatory and punitive damages against the Bloomington, Ill.-based insurer for an alleged breach of contract. Hood's office filed the suit Monday in Hinds County circuit court.

"We filed this lawsuit in an effort to help the more than 30,000 Gulf Coast policyholders who have suffered for nearly two years because of State Farm's inaction," Hood said in a news release issued shortly before a news conference.

State Farm and lawyers for policyholders had presented the original agreement for a mass settlement to U.S. District Judge L.T. Senter Jr., who is presiding over hundreds of lawsuits that Mississippi homeowners filed against their insurers after the Aug. 29, 2005, storm.

Senter refused to sign off on the deal, however, saying he needed more information about how many policyholders would benefit from the mass settlement and how much money they would be guaranteed.

After that deal fell apart, State Farm made a similar agreement with Mississippi Insurance Commissioner George Dale. That pact also calls for the company to reopen and possibly pay tens of thousands of claims, but it isn't subject to judicial oversight.

A State Farm spokesman said Monday that the company's settlement with Dale is "moving forward."

But Hood said that process is not moving fast enough, resulting in a little more than 300 reevaluations so far.

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Larry Curtis, Personal Injury Attorney handles all types of Personal Injury cases including: Automobile Accidents, Maritime Accidents, Spinal Cord Injuries, Traumatic Brain Injuries, Wrongful Death, Insurance Bad Faith, Airplane Accidents, Drunk Driving Injuries, Large Truck Accidents, Motorcycle Accidents, School Bus Accidents, Slip and Fall Accidents.

Larry Curtis, Personal Injury Attorney serves the following Louisiana areas: Southern Louisiana, Lafayette, Acadia Parish (Crowley), Allen Parish (Oberlin), Ascension Parish (Donaldsonville), Assumption Parish (Napoleonville), Avoyelles Parish (Marksville), Beauregard Parish (DeRidder), Bienville Parish (Arcadia), Bossier Parish (Benton), Caddo Parish (Shreveport), Calcasieu Parish (Lake Charles), Caldwell Parish (Columbia), Cameron Parish (Cameron), Catahoula Parish (Harrisonburg), Claiborne Parish (Homer), Concordia Parish (Vidalia), DeSoto Parish (Mansfield),East Baton Rouge Parish (Baton Rouge), East Carroll Parish (Lake Providence), East Feliciana Parish (Clinton), Evangeline Parish (Ville Platte), Franklin Parish (Winnsboro), Grant Parish (Colfax), Iberia Parish (New Iberia), Iberville Parish (Plaquemine), Jackson Parish (Jonesboro), Jefferson Parish (Gretna), Jefferson Davis Parish (Jennings), Lafayette Parish (Lafayette), Lafourche Parish (Thibodaux), LaSalle Parish (Jena), Lincoln Parish (Ruston), Livingston Parish (Livingston), Madison Parish (Tallulah), Morehouse Parish (Bastrop), Natchitoches Parish (Natchitoches), Orleans Parish (New Orleans), Ouachita Parish (Monroe), Plaquemines Parish (Pointe a la Hache), Pointe Coupee Parish (New Roads), Rapides Parish (Alexandria), Red River Parish (Coushatta), Richland Parish (Rayville), Sabine Parish (Many), St. Bernard Parish (Chalmette), St. Charles Parish (Hahnville), St. Helena Parish (Greensburg), St. James Parish (Convent), St. John the Baptist Parish (Edgard), St. Landry Parish (Opelousas), St. Martin Parish (St. Martinville), St. Mary Parish (Franklin), St. Tammany Parish (Covington), Tangipahoa Parish (Amite), Tensas Parish (St. Joseph), Terrebonne Parish (Houma), Union Parish (Farmerville), Vermilion Parish (Abbeville), Vernon Parish (Leesville), Washington Parish (Franklinton), Webster Parish (Minden), West Baton Rouge Parish (Port Allen), West Carroll Parish (Oak Grove), West Feliciana Parish (St. Francisville), Winn Parish (Winnfield)

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