take that, Allstate

From the Times Picayune, April 17, 2007:

Jury awards Slidell couple $2 million in case against Allstate

NEW ORLEANS -- Allstate Insurance Co. must pay a Louisiana man who lost his home to Hurricane Katrina more than $2.8 million in damages and penalties, a federal jury decided Monday in a case that hinged largely on whether it was wind or storm surge that wiped out his house.

Allstate spokeswoman said the company will appeal.
Allstate is shocked with the jury verdict in favor of the plaintiff. I guess they thought that they
could get away with screwing people forever.
Allstate believes it acted in good faith throughout the entire claims process said the Allstate spokesperson.
The verdict included a $1.5 million penalty for the company's failure to pay the claim quickly enough.
In good faith. Pffft. Yes, there is justice.
The Allstate lawyer......said in closing arguments that Katrina's winds were not strong enough to do the damage.
Excuse me? According to the City of Slidell website

The Weather Service reports that Slidell had sustained winds of 176 mph and gusts of 190+ mph during Hurricane Katrina. In addition, Slidell was hit by a 23' - 26' storm surge that devastated much of the city.

I stupidly stayed for the storm and listened to those winds. I saw the damage immediately after the storm. Lawyers. Pffft.
A surveyor/engineer who inspected the house for Allstate...states that wind may have destroyed the home before the surge of water washed away its remnants. He later backed off that conclusion, and deferred to the engineering consultant
The consultant, who wrote the final report on the home for Allstate, convinced the surveyor that storm surge demolished the house. The consultant didn't personally inspect the property until after he wrote the report. He said he based his conclusions in part on evidence gathered by other Rimkus engineers -- a practice he described as common.
Thanks for the info, Mr. Consultant. Perhaps it's time to rethink your processes.