Becky Yerak of the Chicago Tribune reports that a federal district court has denied a request to certify a class action of Mississippi policyholders against Allstate Insurance Company arising out of the handling of Hurricane Katrina claims, agreeing with defense attorneys that “each contract is a separate transaction” and that “[t]he storm was vastly different in its effect depending on the specific geographic location of each particular home.” Yerak notes that less than a month ago another Mississippi federal court denies a motion for class-action certification in a lawsuit against State Farm Fire & Casualty Company by its policyholders arising out of the Hurricane Katrina claims. Plaintiffs’ lawyer in the Allstate case told Yerak that he will seek rehearing of the ruling and then file an appeal.
Becky Yerak’s article, entitled “Katrina ruling favors Allstate: No class-action status for Mississippi claims,” may be found in the Business section of the September 12, 2006 edition of the Chicago Tribune.
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