WASHINGTON–The U.S. Chamber of Commerce jumped into the Hurricane Katrina insurance claims battleground today with criticism of Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood's lawsuit against State Farm.

Mr. Hood's legal action claiming bad faith by State Farm related to the collapse of a federal class action settlement for policyholders with Hurricane Katrina claims in three coastal counties is more about ensuring that plaintiff's lawyers "get their cut of the compensation money" than it is about reimbursing Mississippi homeowners for Katrina losses, a Chamber unit announced.

"With this newest lawsuit, the bottom line is not whether the people of Mississippi will get fair compensation on their losses; it is whether or not the state attorney general can subvert a fair process in order to give trial lawyers a cut–ultimately at the expense of Mississippi homeowners," according to Lisa A. Rickard, president of the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform.

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