Maybe It Was Because of an Undotted "i" and an Uncrossed "t"


Well, whatever the reason, the judge did NOT rule on the merits of the case:

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- A federal judge on Wednesday threw out a so-called "whistleblowers'" lawsuit that accuses insurance companies of overbilling the federal government for Hurricane Katrina's flood damage to Louisiana homes.

Allan Kanner, the New Orleans-based attorney who filed the suit on behalf of a group of former insurance adjusters, said U.S. District Judge Peter Beer dismissed the case on procedural grounds and didn't rule on the merits of the allegations.

Kanner's suit accuses Allstate Insurance Co., State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. and other insurers of misrepresenting claims to the National Flood Insurance Program to limit their liability for storm damage after Katrina laid waste to tens of thousands of Gulf Coast homes.

Insurers have denied inflating flood damage estimates to avoid paying more money on claims for wind damage. The companies, which say their homeowner policies cover damage from wind but not rising water, sell separate flood insurance policies that are federally subsidized.