You’ve already probably heard this news, but in case you haven’t and were wondering about all the raucous partying occurring in Bloomington, Illinois. From an AP article at the Wall Street Journal:
Citing ethical breaches, a federal judge Friday barred a group of Mississippi attorneys once affiliated with a well-known tort lawyer from representing any policyholders in lawsuits against State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. over Hurricane Katrina damage.
U.S. District Judge L.T. Senter Jr. in Gulfport, Miss., also disqualified two key witnesses in the lawyers’ cases from testifying against State Farm or their former employer, a firm that helped the Bloomington, Ill.-based insurer adjust Katrina claims.
Senter’s rulings cited improper payments that Richard “Dickie” Scruggs [...] made to Cori and Kerri Rigsby.
The Rigsbys, of course, are the two sisters who allegedly “liberated” some apparently damning paperwork from adjusting firm they formerly worked for, and which assisted State Farm in dealing with claims in the wake of Katrina.