The senator filed his lawsuit through Richard Scruggs, a plaintiffs' attorney who has previously taken on cigarette and asbestos manufacturers, and is now bringing suits to compel insurers to reimburse homeowners for hurricane damage arguing that the product they sold should have covered it.

Mr. Scruggs is also the senator's brother-in-law.

In the interview, Sen. Lott said that he filed the lawsuit despite his Republican disdain for the work of the plaintiffs' bar, noting that he told Mr. Scruggs, "I don't believe in what he does, those big plaintiffs' suits, but how can insurance companies say we didn't have any wind damage from this storm?"

"From a personal standpoint, I need a little more income. But the people I care most about, those on the coast, are hurting and need help," he said.

Mississippi's attorney general, Democrat Jim Hood, has filed suit on behalf of the citizens of the state to force insurance companies to pay for wind-driven water damages and tide surge that the insurers have denied saying they are subject to flood exclusion language.

The state's Republican governor, Haley Barbour, has said he prefers to negotiate with insurers to provide more for those who have lost their homes.

Insurance industry groups and their member companies have strongly opposed Mr. Hood's lawsuit, saying that a ruling in his favor would effectively eviscerate contract law by requiring insurers to cover damages specifically excluded for their policies and force insurers to cover damages for which they have not collected premiums.

Sen. Lott had harsh words for State Farm, noting that the company's chairman "really made me mad."

"I talked to him after I had been dealing with them for so long," Sen. Lott added. "He said he would look into my situation. I told him I didn't want any special consideration; I wanted them to do what was right for everybody."