The Rigsby sisters have now prevailed in the highest court of the land in their decade long fight against State Farm.1 The Rigsby sisters were catastrophe adjusters working for State Farm on Hurricane Katrina claims. I have noted this case for some time: The Insurance Adjuster’s Dilemma: Tell the Truth and Face the Consequences By … Continue Reading
Cori and Kerri Rigby have won their appeal and have been granted the ability to expand their claims of fraud regarding the adjustment of NFIP claims from Hurricane Katrina.1 The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals found:… Continue Reading
Cori and Kerri Rigsby keep beating State Farm in their Katrina Qui Tam litigation. This case is one of the final Hurricane Katrina cases still making news.… Continue Reading
One of the last remaining Hurricane Katrina cases is the Qui Tam litigation involving the Rigsby sisters’ allegations that State Farm fraudulently overcharged the government when handling NFIP flood claims. The Rigsby sisters alleged State Farm overpaid NFIP flood claims it adjusted to reduce the amount owed under the all risk policies State Farm issued. … Continue Reading
Reports indicate that District Court Judge Halil S. Ozerden, sitting in the Southern District of Mississippi, is ready to set the trial date in the Rigsby case. If you have not followed the litigation, Chip Merlin wrote about the case in his posts, State Farm Whistle-Blower Suit Regarding Altered Expert Reports Continues and Thoughts Regarding … Continue Reading
Slabbed has been dogged regarding its reporting on the Mississippi qui tam litigation involving State Farm. A recent post, Rigsbys file “Motion to Reconsider Scope of Proceedings in Light of Evidence Adduced in Discovery” – ask Court for additional time to conduct Discovery into “the Scheme,” provides some insight regarding the flood adjustment techniques required … Continue Reading
The media is trying to scoop each other on the five year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. In State Farm’s hometown of Bloomington, Illinois, the Pantagraph ran a story about State Farm’s Hurricane Katrina litigation. A massive and unfinished novel could be written on that subject. I found the article by Ryan Denhem, How State Farm Fought Through … Continue Reading
The Gulf Coast has hot and calm days that are merciless for those on the water. I recall my teenage years in Mississippi, stripping to briefs and jumping off a sailboat that was going nowhere fast on a calm morning race in Mobile Bay. I was thinking about that while attending a deposition of Chris … Continue Reading
An important evidentiary hearing concerning alleged wrongful claims practices is taking place in Mississippi. Since the allegations partially involve an insurance company obtaining altered or biased reports from experts, it should be studied by those with similar concerns in other areas of the country. The primary issue in this case is whether State Farm adjusted … Continue Reading
There are still a number of Hurricane Katrina cases we are actively litigating in Mississippi. One of the cases being followed closely by Slabbed is the Qui Tam litigation, brought by the two Rigsby sisters that worked for State Farm following catastrophes. The Rigsbys claim that the federal government paid more in National Flood payments than … Continue Reading
A group of former insurance adjusters filed suit (see full text of the complaint) last year accusing insurers of misrepresenting claims to the National Flood Insurance Program to limit their financial losses in Katrina’s aftermath. The suit was legally required to remain under seal while federal officials reviewed the case. A federal judge in New Orleans unsealed … Continue Reading