Jury awards homeowners $64,000 in Aiken v. USAA, bad faith issue not sent to jury, engineering firm was previously

It is a major story in Katrina litigation when an insurer goes to trial and doesn't get shredded by the jury. By those standards -- by any standards, actually -- the $64,000 verdict against USAA yesterday in the Aiken case in federal court in Mississippi was a good result for the insurer and a less than satisfactory ending for the policyholders.The case was somewhat unusual in that Rimkus Consulting Group, Inc., an engineering firm hired to evaluate Katrina wind vs. water damage to the home of David and Marilyn Aiken, was sued along with the insurer. The Aikens alleged that Rimkus conspired with USAA to commit fraud and change an engineering report that was too favorable to the Aikens.Allegations that insurers have falsified engineering reports are a standard part of many Katrina