Republican Judges Help State Farm Dodge Bullet in Katrina Case

One of the successful Katrina cases tried in front of a Federal Jury was recently gutted by a panel of judges, 2/3 appointed by past republican presidents, including George W. Bush.  The family that had lost their home had insurance with State Farm, and even though State Farm had no proof, it refused to pay the family anything based on the theory that it could have been flooding rather than wind that wiped their house off it's concrete slab.  State Farm didn't have any proof that was what happened, but they denied the claim just like they denied thousands of other claims.  The Federal Court jury decided that was bad faith and awarded penalties and attorney fees, which ultimately would leave the family with enough to pay their legal expenses AND replace their home.  The republican dominated panel at the Court of Appeals reversed the jury and took away all of the money save that for the replacement of the home, saying that while State Farm was wrong - it hadn't acted in bad faith. Remember all the talk show "spin" about "liberal judges"? These judges managed to look at this one case, and State Farm's conduct, without any consideration as to what State Farm was doing with claim after claim after claim post-Katrina. If put into context, State Farm's decision WAS in bad faith. That's what the jury decided after hearing all the evidence, and their verdict should have been upheld. For more information about this decision, click here.