Published: April 28, 2007 06:13 pm      

Attorney: Lott settles lawsuit vs. State Farm

GULFPORT, Miss — Attorney: Lott settles lawsuit vs. State Farm

U.S. Sen. Trent Lott has agreed to settle the lawsuit he filed against State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. for refusing to cover Hurricane Katrina’s damage to his Gulf Coast home, an attorney for the Mississippi Republican said Friday.

Terms of Lott’s settlement with State Farm were not disclosed. Zach Scruggs, one of the senator’s attorneys, said he expects the deal to be completed early next week.

“I think it’s fair to say it’s a done deal,” Scruggs said. “Right now it’s an agreement in principle, and he should be signing the papers soon.”

Lott, whose case was set to be tried in a federal court in Gulfport, Miss., in September, told The Associated Press last month that he was weighing a settlement offer from the company but hadn’t ruled out a trial for his case.

State Farm agreed in January to pay about $80 million to up to 640 policyholders, including Lott, who sued the Bloomington, Ill.-based insurer. Most of those policyholders have accepted the settlement and received their money, but Lott was among a handful of plaintiffs who have balked at settling.