Not Much New to Report on Latest Katrina Wind vs. Water Verdict
Two weeks ago I reported in this post on a $2 million verdict in a Katrina wind vs. water trial. I have not heard anything new about the case other than what I've read on Pacer.
Here is the original Complaint, filed in 2007 and signed by Sid Backstrom of the Scruggs Law Firm. The Complaint appears to be a product of the now infamous Scruggs Katrina Group. It looks like the Barrett law firm ended up trying the case. The Scruggs lawyers were—presumably—unavailable for trial.
The defense team appeared to involve a cast of thousands with lawyers from Atlanta and New Orleans. Whit Johnson from Currie Johnson in Flowood is also listed down in the ranks of defense lawyers. I don't know who did what at trial.
The Pre-trial order is not available on Pacer. Judge Ozerden ordered the plaintiff to to file a motion for attorney fees before March 17, 2011. An award of attorney fees could substantially increase the defendant's exposure.
As a matter of course (and it's stupid), the Southern District of Mississippi always seals the pre-trial order. They are literally the only district in the U.S. that does this, apparently because it lists witnesses and witnesses are a big secret. Misguided. Wrong. Contrary to everything a public court should do.
I just remembered Philip. The pre-trial order in this case (while not publicly available) was misfiled earlier in the record when there was a motion to amend it. [The amended pre-trial (attached to the motion) was not scrubbed by the court's secret police.] And the MS Jury Verdict Reporter has it.
For those interested it is linked at:
http://juryverdicts.net/MississippiBreaking.htm
I think there was a witness murdered in the S.D. Miss. a year or two back. Arguably that rule is appropriate, if at all, for criminal cases only. But maybe that's a factor.