Declarations

Reaching the Peak

“This is probably it. … I think we’re probably reaching the peak of rates now.”

—Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corp. CEO John Wortman, comments in an Associated Press report on double-digit homeowners rate increases proposed by Citizens in several southeast parishes. Citizens wants to raise its rates statewide following rate increases by private firms. If approved by the Department of Insurance, the hikes will be most dramatic in southeast Louisiana, where Citizens policyholders will see double-digit increases in Jefferson, St. James, St. Charles and St. John the Baptist parishes. An exception is Orleans Parish where rates were already high before Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and private insurers didn’t raise rates as dramatically after the storm. The rate increases would take effect Oct. 1, as policies are renewed.

Standing Firm

“As a religious institution, we have a responsibility to our students and to the community to host family friendly events. … We’re standing firm on this.”

—Timothy Cloyd, president of Hendrix College in Conway, Ark. The private school backed out of a deal to allow a “Caged Fury” tournament on campus and Bone Krusher Entertainment Inc., which promotes the tournament, is suing the school. The Associated Press reported that Bone Krusher had paid a $250 deposit and $5,300 for advertising and insurance policies required by Hendrix. The lawsuit seeks an injunction that would allow the Caged Fury tournament to happen as planned or compensation for damages from the “breach of contract.” The college reportedly believed the event was similar to Tae Kwon Do tournaments. Cloyd said the event was canceled after Hendrix officials realized that some Bone Krusher advertising featured scantily clad women, skull-and-crossbones imagery and bloody noses.

Fewer Cases, Better Developed

“I think that with less cases we are working cases more thoroughly and in that regard the cases we are getting are better developed when they come to us.”

—Oklahoma Supreme Court Chief Justice James Winchester. The Tulsa World examined eight years of Supreme Court filings, opinions and settlement conferences from records obtained through the Open Records Act, according to the Associated Press. Between 1999 and 2006, the total number of cases handled by the Supreme Court declined 28 percent from 1,874 cases to 1,354. Winchester said there is still plenty of work to be done and that he doesn’t “see anyone working any less.” The state Supreme Court had a 49 percent drop in its review of workers’ compensation cases submitted to the Supreme Court system since 1999. Winchester said the decline in workers’ compensation cases and general appeals could be due to the focus on mediation, as well as legislative reforms.