Premier Litigation Firm Thompson Coe Stands Ready to Respond to Matters Arising from the Recent Major Storms Along the Gulf Coast
Nov 18, 2021
Thompson, Coe, Cousins & Irons, LLP, a premier litigation firm, has assembled a newly expanded Catastrophe Weather Response Team to help clients navigate the wide-ranging implications of property insurance litigation due to major storms along the Gulf Coast, such as Hurricanes Laura, Ida, Harvey, Katrina, Rita, Ike, and Dolly.
The Firm is strategically located to provide legal services to clients locally, regionally and nationally from offices in Austin, Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston, Texas; New Orleans, Louisiana; and St. Paul, Minnesota. With lawyers licensed to practice in Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida, Thompson Coe is geographically situated to serve the legal needs of clients throughout the Gulf Coast region and has extensive experience in several practice areas to provide successful solutions to their varied needs.
For 70 years, Thompson Coe has been recognized as a top tier litigation firm and a national authority on insurance defense and sophisticated coverage issues. Thompson Coe attorneys have unmatched experience helping insurers formulate defense strategies to respond to the high volume of lawsuits and claims after a catastrophe.
“Insurers face an onslaught of multi-media advertising brought by numerous well-financed and organized plaintiff firms,” said Marne Jones, a partner in the New Orleans office. “Their goal is to efficiently file a high volume of lawsuits based on the ‘mass tort’ litigation model. The attorneys at Thompson Coe stand ready defend this large volume litigation through all stages of resolution or trial.”
New statutes and directives have added to the complex nature of these claims and require a dedicated team of attorneys who can assist with any litigation that arises. For instance, because of the numerous storms in 2021 in Louisiana, many homeowners are making multiple claims for the same year. Some of these claims may be subject to the single season named-storm/hurricane deductible law, which prohibits a homeowner from paying more than one named-storm/hurricane deductible in the same hurricane season.
Beginning with litigation from the massive explosion of the Steamship Grandcamp that leveled much of Texas City in 1947, through the wind-driven-rain disputes arising out of Hurricane Carla in 1961, the battle over pollution exclusions, and key “bad faith” cases of the 1990s to the mold and hurricane litigation of the present, Thompson Coe has been at the forefront of some of the most important property insurance cases litigated in the last 70 years.
The Firm’s knowledge of the insurance industry and expertise in insurance law and insurance-related litigation is unsurpassed. In addition top general litigation needs. the Thompson Coe Catastrophe Weather Response Team offers resources related to state-specific claims handling guides, catastrophe-specific coverage and policy form issues, and updates on directives from the implicated Insurance Commissioners.