Dickie Scruggs, the Mississippi lawyer who represented thousands of policyholders in their Hurricane Katrina coverage litigation against property insurers, was recently sentenced to five years in prison for conspiring to bribe a judge in a Hurricane Katrina case.  In addition, Scruggs was ordered to pay a fine of $250,000.

Scruggs was alleged to have attempted to bribe Judge Henry Lackey in an effort to obtain a favorable ruling in a dispute  concerning $26.5 million in legal fees in a mass Katrina-related settlement.  Scruggs’ son, attorney Zach Scruggs, was sentenced to 14 months in jail and a $250,000 fine for  his failure to report the bribe.  In addition, a law partner of the two Scruggs was also sentenced to jail time and fined.

Scruggs gained fame in the 1990’s for his involvement in tobacco litigation.

We will continue to provide updates on Katrina-related coverage litigation on InsureReinsure.com.