A recent Katrina-related trial in Mississippi that accused an insurer of bad faith, breach of contract, and other charges related to its claim-handling practices has ended with a favorable verdict for the defendant.

The case involved Prime Insurance Syndicate and one of their policyholders, whose home was heavily damaged when a large tree was blown onto his roof during Hurricane Katrina. The case is considered significant due to the fact that it is the believed to be one of the first jury verdicts in Mississippi that exonerated an insurer in a Hurricane Katrina claim.

Claims spoke with lead defense attorney Rick Bass, senior partner in the Jackson, Miss., office of Phelps Dunbar, LLP, to get a better understanding of the issues at play in the trial, the importance of having proactive catastrophe claim-handling practices, and how concern over a fair trial permeated the case.