Barrasso Usdin Wins at Mississippi Supreme Court

(Client: Firm Insurance Clients)

Our firm was retained to defend Liberty Mutual and Safeco in two lawsuits brought by the Attorney General for the State of Mississippi, seeking recovery of millions of dollars allegedly owed by each insurer on hundreds of homeowner claims from Hurricane Katrina. On our application, the Mississippi Supreme Court accepted interlocutory review of significant procedural issues that arose early in these cases concerning non-random case reassignments between trial court judges, and the broad delegation of authority to a special master. The Mississippi Supreme Court vacated the trial court’s non-random reassignment and reference to the special master. The Court’s extensive reasoning for each vacatur will provide future guidance to Mississippi trial courts in two previously underdeveloped areas of the law.

Judy Barrasso, Stephen R. Klaffky, and Chloé M. Chetta handled the matter.