Good Editorial in Todays Clarion Ledger

Here is a well reasoned opinion on the impact of the current legal mess and it's impact on coast residents seeking justice.

"Katrina lawsuits: Coast residents want justice

The Clarion-Ledger

For Mississippi Hurricane Katrina victims, hope for recovery from the storm took a sickening turn with the charges lodged against attorney Dickie Scruggs.

State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. is seeking to have attorneys with Scruggs' "Katrina Litigation Group" representing policyholders thrown off a key case because the insurer claims the lawyers have behaved unethically.

Scruggs withdrew from most of his firm's Katrina cases after his indictment on charges he tried to bribe a judge for a favorable ruling in a dispute over legal fees.

The newly formed group, which includes members of Scruggs' legal team, is now handling hundreds of cases on behalf of Coast policyholders in "wind vs. water" disputes, alleging the insurer failed to honor claims.

State Farm claims that Scruggs and members of his team have committed "highly unethical acts," such as illicitly obtaining internal claims records, and have "irreparably perverted the litigation process."

Scruggs' indictment has muddied the water for policyholders. The more cases are delayed, the longer the recovery can take - if homeowners don't just give up or move away. About 14,902 families still are in temporary housing units in Mississippi.

In clarionledger.com's Forums, under Katrina-related issues, Mississippi Insurance Forum, readers commiserate. Says one: "'Ain't life grand?' For some people, maybe, but nothing's grand for the people on the Coast that were 'slabbed' by Katrina, 'stabbed' by their 'good neighbor,' and forced to live out a horror story that even Hitchcock would find frightening.

"Life's not going to be grand for anyone in our state until we get to the bottom of this mess ... Unfortunately it's going to take a long time - longer, I fear, that folks with valid claims can hold on."

Mississippians have the "want to" for rebuilding. The legal disputes need to be resolved."