Questionable Emails from State Farm to Engineers Assessing Katrina Damage

Article in the Wall Street Journal — Emails May Help Homeowners In Fight Against State Farm, by the Associated Press.  Here’s an excerpt:

Emails sent by officials of an engineering firm that assessed Hurricane Katrina claims suggest that State Farm Insurance Co. wanted engineers to blame damage on flooding so that it could make minimum settlements with policyholders.

The emails, obtained by the Associated Press, indicate that State Farm was threatening to dismiss Raleigh, N.C.-based Forensic Analysis & Engineering Corp. less than two months after Katrina hit on Aug. 29, 2005.

Attorneys for homeowners suing State Farm claim the emails support their argument that the insurer pressured its engineers to alter their reports on storm-damaged homes so that policyholders’ claims could be denied.

BGS