WASHINGTON--A resolution of the well-publicized lawsuit by Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., against State Farm over his Hurricane Katrina home damage claim has been delayed again.

Sen. Lott has been battling State Farm for two years over his claim for damages to his Pascagoula home stemming from the 2005 storm.

Phil Supple, a spokesman for State Farm, based in Bloomington, Ill., said a pre-trial conference on the lawsuit scheduled for last Tuesday has been delayed until July 3.

A trial of the case, originally scheduled for June, has also been delayed, until September, Mr. Supple said.

Mr. Supple noted that Mr. Lott still has the option to settle his suit as part of an agreement with his lawyers, the Scruggs law firm in Gulfport, Miss., to settle a class-action lawsuit involving 640 homeowners with claims against State Farm.

"Mr. Lott has not yet decided whether to be part of that agreement, which has been estimated to be worth $80 million to all claimants," Mr. Supple said.

In a comment during a hearing on legislation repealing the McCarran-Ferguson Act last month, Sen. Lott classified himself as one of Mississippi's "slab-owners," in reference to the fact that the storm left only the concrete base of his home remaining.

Special Reports /

Sen. Lott's State Farm Suit Still On Hold

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