Scruggs Disbands

The next time famed attorney Richard Scruggs appears in court it may be to protect his own reputation rather than to question that of an insurance company. He has had a forum to bash insurers for two years but Scruggs has now removed himself from the law consortium he formed to represent claimants after Hurricane Katrina crashed into the U.S. Gulf Coast in 2005.

Since 2005, Scruggs’ name has become synonymous with Katrina litigation. Immediately after the most destructive hurricane season in U.S. history, Scruggs assembled a group of his colleagues including his son Zach to challenge insurers that had begun denying Katrina claims. He says his group has helped more than 900 families resolve their claims. Now Scruggs is facing several serious allegations including that he defied a court order and was involved in a conspiracy to bribe a judge. While insurers may not have Scruggs to fear any longer, the fight over Katrina claims is not over. Attorneys involved in Katrina cases have regrouped without him as the Katrina Litigation Group.