Date: 01-12-2007

Case Style: Norman and Genevieve Broussard v. State Farm Fire & Casualty Company

Case Number: 1:06-cv-00006-LTS-RHW

Judge: L.T. Senter Jr

Court: United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, Harrison County

Plaintiff's Attorney:

Jack Denton of Denton Law Firm, PLLC, Biloxi, Mississippi

William Walker, Law Offices of William C. Walker, Jr., Oxford, Mississippi

Jack Denton, Denton Law Firm, LLC, Biloxi, Mississippi

Defendant's Attorney:

John Banahan, Matthew Perkins and John Corlew of Bryan, Nelson, Schroeder, Castigliola & Banahan, Pascagoula, Missirrippi

Description:

Norman and Genevieve Broussard sued State Farm Fire & Casualty Company on a bad faith breach of contract theory claiming defendant wrongfully failed to pay them for the loss sustained by them when their home was destroyed by hurrican Katrina. The claimed that they lost $223,292 in damages from the destruction of their home and its contents.

State Farm refused to the Brussards claiming that the loss was excluded by the insurance contract sold to the Brussards. State Farm blamed all the damage on Katrina's storm surge. State Farm and other insurers say their homeowner policies cover damage from wind but not from water, and that the policies exclude damage that could have been caused by a combination of both, even if hurricane-force winds preceded a storm's rising water.

Outcome: Directed verdict in favor of Plaintiffs in the amount of $223,202 plus a jury verdict in their favor in the amount of $2.5 million.

Plaintiff's Experts:

Tim Slider

Defendant's Experts:

Kurty Gurley and Robert Dean

Comments: None