Dear Friends,

We know that many of you have homes, businesses, rental properties or were in some other way affected as a result of Hurricane Katrina. Please note that in order to protect your right to make a claim as a result of a loss sustained during Hurricane Katrina, a lawsuit must be filed by August 28, 2006. That is one year after the date of Hurricane Katrina. Therefore, whether you are presently being represented by us for a loss sustained during Hurricane Katrina, have another attorney or have not retained counsel yet, it is important that you mark that date on your calendar and be prepared to file a lawsuit by that date. Because of the time needed to investigate and prepare suit, we highly recommend that you contact an attorney no later than July 28, 2006 to ensure that your claim is timely filed.

There has been plenty of news coming from the legislature in Baton Rouge, the Commissioner of Insurance, and other governmental agencies about extending that date. We are not convinced that the government’s attempt to extend the date for filing such a claim is constitutional. Nor do we believe that you should trust an insurance adjuster’s offer to voluntarily extend the deadline while negotiating a settlement, because again, we believe that these “voluntary extensions” may not be legally valid. Therefore, the only way you can be absolutely certain that you preserve your claim is to file suit by August 28, 2006.

Should you have any questions, comments or concerns, please fell free to give us a call. We wish you the best of luck this hurricane season.

Yours very truly,
STEVEN J. LANE
Managing Partner