State Farm, homeowners settle Katrina case in Mississippi state court

State Farm and homeowners Ray and Marie Van Meerten, in what is said to be the first Katrina case in Mississippi state court to go to trial, settled last week before a jury verdict was returned. As usual, terms were undisclosed. This case featured an interesting bit of testimony by a State Farm claims adjuster. Read this excerpt from an excellent story by Anita Lee of the Sun Herald:A great fuss has been made over State Farm's wind-water protocol and whether the company circulated it through the ranks to wrongly deny or minimize Hurricane Katrina claims. But one catastrophe team leader, who managed adjusters for the company, said she'd never heard of the protocol, much less seen it.Circuit Judge Steve Simpson questioned team leader Sharon L. Collins out of the jury's presence to make su