Declarations

Inadequate words

— The Louisiana Supreme Court, ruling that the one-year Hurricane Katrina and Rita claims extension period in Louisiana is legitimate and “both appropriate and reasonable in order to protect the rights of the citizens of Louisiana and their general welfare.” The ruling was written by Justice Chet Traylor.

Creating certainty

— Greg La Cost, assistant vice president for the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI), offering that group’s opinion on the Louisiana Supreme Court ruling on the extension of the period in which consumers can file claims against insurers over Hurricanes Katrina and Rita damage.

Mostly water

‘Almost all the damage to the Leonard residence is attributable to the incursion of water.”

— U.S. District Judge L.T. Senter Jr., of Mississippi. Ruling in Paul Leonard and Julie Leonard v. Nationwide Mutual, Senter upheld the exclusion for damage caused by water and water-borne materials in an insurance contract.

Zero tolerance

“We have no tolerance for any numbers higher than zero. Motorcyclists need to wear their helmets, drivers need to buckle up, and all motorists need to stay sober.”

— Acting U.S. Transportation Secretary Maria Cino commenting on a report showing traffic deaths in the U. S. are at their highest levels since 1990. The spike in fatalities was attributed to an increase in motorcycle and pedestrian deaths. The National Highway Traffic Safety Adminis-tration said 43,443 people were killed on the highways last year, up 1.4 percent from 42,836 in 2004. It was the highest number of fatalities in a single year since 1990, when 44,599 people were killed.