Contact me at markploftus@aol.com

Saw a couple of interesting items in various media today. First, our good friends at Allstate, the "Good Hands" people, suffered a big setback in the United State Supreme Court today. Allstate is being sued by various customers who allege, among other things, that Allstate used customer credit records to overcharge blacks and Hispanics for home and auto insurance. Just so you know, I am shocked that Allstate would ever engage in such tactics. No wait, that isn't true. I am not shocked at all by anything Allstate does. [See Allstatesucks.com website]. Seems that the plaintiffs are claiming that Allstate's use of credit histories to set rates had a disproportionate effect on minorities. In addition, the customers are claiming that Allstate also deliberately discriminated against customers, although that aspect of the claim wasn't before the Supreme Court.

Allstate is claiming that the use of the credit histories is perfectly appropriate, citing studies that show that people with poor credit are more likely to suffer an insurance loss. Gosh those Good Hands people are just oozing sincerity...

In other news, former U.S. Congressman Gary Condit found himself back in the news today when U.S. District Judge Peter Leisure ruled that Condits $11 million dollar slander suit against Dominick Dunne(of Vanity Fair and countless cable gabfests)could continue. Condit is alleging that Dunne wrongfully implicated him in the disappearance of Chandra Levy. Dunne had sought to dismiss the case, but the judge ruled that Dunne didn't just merely comment on a public issue, but "...added false assertions of fact to the public controversy." I anticipate some sort of response from Dunne in next month's Vanity Fair.

Finally, met another new client today who is seeking to sue her mortgage broker for fraud. Client claims that the broker screwed up several times and the closing was cancelled at the last minute. Finally some 5 months after the scheduled closing, the deal closed, but the interest rate on the note was 2 full points higher. I am looking into the facts but encouraged by the news that there are a couple of other folks out there who had the exact same complaints about this outfit - just need to find them. Would like to have multiple plaintiffs named in the lawsuit. Jurors don't respond very warmly to evidence that the same defendant just kept cheating people over and over and over...That conduct can sometimes spell PUNITIVE DAMAGES down the road.