A federal jury today awarded a Louisiana man who lost his home during hurricane Katrina nearly $3 million in a lawsuit against Allstate Insurance company. The case turned on whether or not wind or storm damage lead the destruction of Robert Weiss’ home.
Allstate had argued that damage to the property was caused by storm surge, an event not covered by its policy. The plantiff’s lawyer presented evidence that the home was too far above sea level to have been destroyed by storm surge.
The jury’s verdict included a penalty of $1.5 million for Allstates failure to quickly pay Weiss’ claim.
Sources: http://public.findlaw.com/pnews/news/ap/f/66/04-16-2007/3bc0000a9f5d1eb2.html, http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/business/4719817.html
