United States Fifth Circuit

In a consolidated suit by policyholders with property damaged by Hurricane Katrina alleging that the massive inundation of water into the city was the result of the negligent design, construction, and maintenance of the levees and that the policies' flood exclusions are ambiguous because they do not clearly exclude coverage for an inundation of water induced by negligence, the court holds that the property damage was excluded from coverage by the unambiguous language of the policies, regardless of the source of the deluge.

Appellate Information

• Decided 08/02/2007
• Published 08/03/2007

Judges

• KING, Circuit Judge:, Before KING, DeMOSS and OWEN, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Fifth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Christopher Todd Handman, Hogan & Hartson, Washington, DC, Steven W. Usdin, Barrasso, Usdin, Kupperman, Freeman & Sarver, New Orleans, LA, for Great Northern Ins. Co., James M. Garner, Darnell Bludworth, Sher Garner Cahill Richter Klein & Hilbert, New Orleans, LA, for Xavier University of Louisiana., Harry M. Reasoner, Marie Roach Yeates, Gwendolyn Johnson Samora, Vinson & Elkins, Houston, TX, Judy Y. Barrasso, Barrasso Usdin Kupperman Freeman & Sarver, New Orleans, LA, for Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance., Alan J. Yacoubian, Neal J. Favert, Johnson, Johnson, Barrios & Yacoubian, New Orleans, LA, for AAA Homeowners Auto Club Family Insurance Co., Laura Anne Foggan, Wiley Rein LLP, Washington, DC, for Am. Ins. Ass'n., Nat. Ass'n of Mut. Ins. Co., Property Cas. Insurers Ass'n of America and Reinsurance Ass'n of America, Amici Curiae., Levon G. Hovnatanian, Christopher Weldon Martin, Martin R. Sadler, Martin, Disiere, Jefferson & Wisdom, Houston, TX, for United Services Auto. Ass'n, Amicus Curiae., Alan S. Gilbert, Anne W. Mitchell, Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal, Chicago, IL, for Horace Mann Ins. Co., Amicus Curiae., Dominic J. Ovella, Sean Patrick Mount, Daniel Michael Redmann, Hailey, McNamara, Hall, Larmann & Papale, Metairie, LA, for Fidelity & Deposit Co. of Maryland, Empire Fire & Marine Ins. Co., Empire Indem Ins. Co. and Centre Ins. Co., Amici Curiae., Marshall M. Redmon, Phelps Dunbar, Baton Rouge, LA, for Farmers Ins. Exchange, Amica Mut. Ins. Co. and Republic Fire & Cas., Amici Curiae., Amy R. Sabrin, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, Washington, DC, for Farmers Ins. Exchange, Amicus Curiae., John Powers Wolff, III, Steven C. Judice, Nancy B. Gilbert, Christopher Keith Jones, Tiffany N. Thornton, Keogh, Cox & Wilson, Ltd., Baton Rouge, LA, for Amica Mut. Ins. Co., Amicus Curiae., Christopher Raymond Pennison, Jay M. Lonero, Larzelere, Picou, Wells, Simpson & Lonero, Metairie, LA, for Republic Fire & Cas. Ins. Co., Amicus Curiae.


• For Appellees:
  
• Joseph M. Bruno, David S. Scalia, Bruno & Bruno, New Orleans, LA, James Parkerson Roy, Domengeaux, Wright, Roy & Edwards, Lafayette, LA, Joseph J. McKernan, McKernan Law Firm, Larry Dewayne Dyess, Baton Rouge, LA, Drew A. Ranier, Norval F. Elliot, III, Ranier, Gayle & Elliot, Lake Charles, LA, David Blayne Honeycutt, Wanda Jean Edwards, Fayard & Honeycutt, Calvin Clifford Fayard, Jr., Denham Springs, LA, Matthew D. Schultz, Levin, Papantonio, Thomas, Mitchell, Echsner & Proctor, Pensacola, FL, John N. Ellison (argued), Anderspon, Kill & Olick, Philadelphia, PA, for Plaintiffs-Appellees-Cross-Appellants.