Jackson Jambalaya

Hey Donna - there was a small case involving State Farm........

Ya think?

How many times has she crucified Barbour for Katrina contracts going to his friends and family. Or Melton getting NE Jackson money then helping them out?

If that thread doesn't show you what a hack she is, nothing will. Principles indeed.

What I think is when it comes to this stuff she is out of her depth as it is pretty complex. She doesn't bother to stay informed on it as it would mean reading, gasp, OTHER BLOGS, and then when it started hitting the fan yesterday, she is scrambling to be relevant in the biggest story in Jackson and Mississippi. Of course she took up for Hood as she had a sweet cover story on him last year and has been taking the anti-tort reform line so she is now running interference for Moore and Hood.

Wow. Um.. Come. On. Donna. Think.

Just like she likes to tell her readers. It's. NOT. That. Hard.

Or, in another way,

2+2=4

You put two and two together, and well, if it adds up to four, ya got somethin'.

Someone just nailed her on it.

Time to check out state desk.

What do you know? She is pimping Hood's removing Langston from Eli Lilly suit.

Out of all the stories on this mess yesterday she picks the only one where she can give some favorable coverage to Hood.

She then accuses Hoods critics of trying to link him to the scandal.

Donna, please stop. I'm going to warn you like Larry Holmes did with Ali before their bout. Stop this crap. You are going to end up looking VERY stupid and you're credibility is going to get ripped to pieces. Everyone knows what this crap is that has half a brain. You are going to discredit yourself even more the more you do this. No one, and I mean no one, is taking this line and there is a good reason for it.

Well, well, look at this defense:

"Lady, I'm not as familiar with the details of the State Farm case, although Adam probably is. But for the sake of understanding here, why don't you explain to us exactly what Hood is accused of doing? Then we can have a discussion about it."

Let us look at what she has published in the past on the State Farm case:

http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=14467_0_27_0_C

http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=12676_0_27_0_C

http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=13525_0_9_0_C

http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=13942_0_4_0_C

http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=15371_0_27_0_C

http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=12442_0_27_0_C

http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=12699_0_4_0_C

Of course, they have conveniently left out any coverage of Scruggs and Hood having problems with an Alabama federal judge in any of these stories. I will leave it to others to speculate why this is so.

However, the Wall Street Journal has had more than half a dozen stories and editorials covering the problems Scruggs and Hood face in Alabama.

I just don't know what your'e talking about Fish'. Is there something going on with indictments and guilty pleas? It doesn't include Melton, so I am not following it.

LALAALALALALALALLA. I CAN"T HEAR YOU!!!!!

LMAO

From the Wall Street Journal:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117392424758037698-search.html

REVIEW & OUTLOOK


Mississippi Justice
March 15, 2007
These columns have tried to monitor the increasingly marauding behavior of state attorneys general (see below), and few examples can match the assault of Mississippi's Jim Hood on State Farm insurance.

We've been digging into the gory details, which also reveal how one more AG has teamed up with the trial bar to squeeze law-abiding companies into dubious settlements. This tale is worthy of a Grisham novel, full of stolen documents, turncoat employees, attorneys who flout court orders, and an upcoming contempt hearing.

Within weeks of Hurricane Katrina, Mr. Hood filed a civil suit against State Farm and other insurers for denying flood claims -- even though their policies excluded flood damage. State Farm was also sued by Mississippi tort baron Dickie Scruggs. When the insurers refused to roll over, Mr. Hood turned up the pressure with a criminal probe. And his leverage in that probe included certain internal State Farm documents.


How Mr. Hood got his hands on those documents is a story all its own. It revolves around E.A. Renfroe, a company with offices in Alabama that was hired by State Farm to send insurance adjusters to evaluate Katrina claims. Two sisters, Cori Rigsby Moran and Kerri Rigsby, had worked as adjusters for Renfroe since the late 1990s. Both had signed employment agreements and codes of conduct promising to protect the confidential information of companies for which Renfroe worked.

Yet around February of 2006, the Rigsby sisters seemed to be thinking of something beyond contracts. According to court documents, they met with Mr. Scruggs (a friend of their mother's) and gave him State Farm documents they'd stolen from work. Mr. Scruggs at this point was working on his civil litigation against insurers, and the Rigsbys started clandestinely working with him. In June of 2006, the two copied 15,000 more pages of claims information and, on Mr. Scruggs's advice, gave a copy first to Mr. Hood and then to Mr. Scruggs. They also went on national television to crow about their theft, and to accuse State Farm of misconduct.

* * *
We'll leave it to readers to decide what motivated the Rigsby sisters, who claim they found evidence of State Farm fraud and so should be hailed as heroic whistleblowers. But it's worth noting that neither woman went to Renfroe management with their concerns before they stole the papers. Instead, they both took jobs with the Scruggs Katrina Group -- a coalition of trial lawyers suing over the hurricane -- and are now each earning $150,000 a year as "consultants" for advising on insurance litigation.

The real fireworks started when Renfroe sued the two sisters in federal court, alleging they'd broken employment agreements and a trade secrets law, and demanding return of the documents. Guess who then interceded? None other than Mr. Hood, who filed a brief admitting the documents were now at "the heart" of his criminal probe and couldn't be returned. Never mind that Renfroe had already agreed that Mr. Hood could keep his copies.

Mr. Hood claimed to be worried that, if the documents were returned to Renfroe, State Farm would see them and know what "evidence" the prosecutor had against it. In other words, the AG admitted in a court document that his strategy was to deny evidence to State Farm to make it easier for him to scare the company into a settlement. His demand for a stay of the proceedings would also have helped Mr. Scruggs -- the man who'd got him the documents -- keep his own set of papers.

To his credit, Alabama federal Judge William M. Acker Jr., showed himself wise to this racket. In a blunt opinion in early December, he said that it was "apparent" that the Rigsby sisters and Mr. Scruggs were "now engaged in a cooperative effort" to use the papers to sue State Farm. He then issued an injunction, demanding that everyone except law enforcement officials return their documents to Renfroe attorneys -- who themselves were under court order not to share them with Renfroe or State Farm.

That should have been the end of it. Instead, within days of Judge Acker's injunction, Mr. Hood's office had sent a letter to Mr. Scruggs suggesting that, instead of giving his documents back to Renfroe, Mr. Scruggs give them to the AG -- where they'd be beyond the reach of the injunction. The letter also promised to give the papers back to Mr. Scruggs later in the game. Mr. Scruggs did so, and the injunction went unfulfilled, all the way up until after the January day that State Farm agreed to settle with both the lawyer and the prosecutor. Only then did Mr. Hood's office send Mr. Scruggs's documents to Renfroe attorneys, as the court had ordered.

Judge Acker wasn't thrilled that an officer of the court (Mr. Scruggs) and a state law enforcement official (Mr. Hood) would so brazenly flout the law. He has since invited Mr. Scruggs and his law firm to explain why he should not be held in contempt of court, and on March 21 will hold a contempt hearing. Don't expect it to be pretty.

Then again, Mr. Scruggs and Mr. Hood have already got what they wanted. Mr. Scruggs helped Mr. Hood get internal State Farm documents for his criminal probe. Mr. Scruggs has used those documents in his litigation, and by his own admission has given them to other trial lawyers. Working together, the trial lawyer and AG ensured that State Farm wouldn't see what had been stolen, and thus never know how well it could defend itself. That made it easier for both men to pressure the company into a $130-million-plus settlement, rather than risk going to court.

Meanwhile, other disturbing aspects of this tale have leaked out. According to documents in the Alabama case, Mr. Scruggs also threatened to turn up the heat on State Farm unless the company agreed to pressure Renfroe into dropping its litigation against Mr. Scruggs's clients, the Rigsby sisters. How convenient. We're also told that Mr. Hood exerted pressure on State Farm to settle not just with the state, but also with Mr. Scruggs, who stands to make millions in contingency fees from the State Farm settlement. Look for some of that cash to make it back to Mr. Hood in the form of campaign contributions.

* * *
Whatever else this is, we wouldn't call it "justice." Attorneys general are immensely powerful and are supposed to enforce the law fairly and without playing favorites. Instead, many of them have essentially become business partners with the trial bar to shake down companies for cash and political gain. In an earlier day, this would have been known as absolute power corrupting absolutely.

RELATED ARTICLES AND BLOGS

How dare any of you question the Glorious Leader. She has repeatedly told you how progressive she is, and how she has come from New York to save us backward heathens.

Bunch of ingrates.

You're right... I shall flog myself now.

Ayeeeeeeeeeee!

Ladd is so woefully behind on this story.

The little itsy bitsy free entertainment weekly that she always boasts can ... can't, doesn't and never did.

Keep blowing doors King while Ladd blows her meager wad with relaunching the failed JokeDesk experiment for the umpteenth time.

Considering how often her own paper obsessively focuses on smearing people she doesn't like, Donna Ladd is in no position to complain about witchhunts.

Ladd must have hooked up with her pusher. She's overdosed on the self-puffery drugs again. Either that or she's hitting the bottle again, hard.

Now she's asking why there aren't more women who blog...while attacking women who blog.
http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=11159_0_67_0_C

Ladd is one of the most mean-spirited people you'll ever cross paths with...

Now Ladd is cruising the blogs looking to rip off material ... it is documented that she's ripped off from King in the past. Anyone wanna bet that she doesn't give any attribution?

"Anyone wanna bet that she doesn't give any attribution"

Why would she start now? She's so far behind in "current affairs" locally, she should be embarassed by that AND for plagiarism. Of course, if you are going to rip off someone's blog, might as well rip off a good one, like 'Fish's!

Rico, what do you mean?

????? Regarding?

copying my blog and also her trolling other blogs looking for material.

Ladd is reading all the blogs (JJ, Y'all, Rossmiller, Overlawyered, Folo, WSJLaw, etc.) trying to get herself up to speed on the Scruggs, Langston scandals. The blogs have been all over this story with ample linkage for two months now. The blogs have numerous attorneys posting great, valid and accurate material. Ladd has ripped off your material in the past and undoubtedly she'll rip off all the other blogs here shortly. Guaranteed.

Ladd is a fraud.

Rico,

look at 225 Magazine in Baton Rouge. Free publication by the BR Business Report. Glossy pages. high quality photos. It is monthly. Goes through several runs every month. Check out their website.

Now they do 3-4 hard news stories a month amid all the entertainment coverage. Legitimate hard news stories at that. However, they are not trying to be something they are not, which is competition for the Advocate. They don't bash the Local paper. Don't bash the local media. They just do their thing and the result is they have a high level of readership and support. No animosity between them and the community as a whole.

Ladd's problem is she is trying to compete with the Clarion Ledger. Fine and dandy. There are ways she could beat them and the Tv media but I'm going to let her figure it out as she is too limited in her thinking.

However, she ruins herself by constantly bashing the ledge and comparing her coverage to their, making her look as if she has a self esteeem problem. Except for an ad, she should not do that. Just cover the damn stories and if you are providing better coverage, people will realize it and your readership will increase. Sort of like if you score a touchdown, act like you've seen an end zone.

However, at this time she does not have the resources to challenge the CL and should not try to do so because it makes her look desperate and small. She should just put out the best product she can and let the ledge worry about itself. If her paper gets big enough, then she can worry about the ledge and that will be a nice problem to have.

Of course, I have a model in mind that I am working out the kinks but it would blow the ledge as well as local media away. but I'll keep it to myself for now. However, this week has shown quite a bit in regards to the JFP, journalism, and the Scruggs scandal.