Judge Bars Lawyers

By: Rose Ann Haven | WKRG-TV
Published: May 20, 2008

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - A federal judge has disqualified a group
of Missouri lawyers from working on a case against State Farm over
the insurance company's handling of policyholder claims after
Hurricane Katrina.
Today's (Monday) ruling by U.S. District Judge L.T. Senter Jr.
bars the lawyers from representing two sisters, Cori and Kerri
Rigsby, in a sweeping lawsuit that accuses State Farm of violating
the federal False Claims Act.
State Farm spokesman Fraser Engerman says the company is pleased
with Senter's ruling, but he declined any further comment on it.
Senter faults the lawyers from two Missouri law firms for
failing to act after they learned of alleged ethical misconduct by
another attorney in the case, Richard "Dickie" Scruggs.
Anthony DeWitt, of the Jefferson City law firm, says he and his
colleagues are likely to appeal Senter's ruling.
Todd Graves, of the Kansas City law firm, is one of the
disqualified lawyers. Graves says he couldn't comment on the ruling
because he hadn't read it yet.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

AP-NY-05-19-08 1934EDT

Judge Bars Lawyers

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