Declarations

Taking the 5th

“Has it been your custom and habit in prosecuting litigation to have Senator Lott contact and encourage witnesses to give false information?”

—State Farm Fire & Casualty Cos. attorney Jim Robie cross-examining Zach Scruggs, son and law partner of disgraced former attorney Richard “Dickie” Scruggs. The attorney suggested that U.S. Sen. Trent Lott urged witnesses to give false information in a Hurricane Katrina lawsuit. Zach Scruggs invoked Fifth Amendment rights in response to the question.

Alabama’s Bell

“It has been my genuine honor to serve as commissioner of the Alabama Department of Insurance. I appreciate the opportunity afforded to me by Gov. Riley. I also appreciate the hard work and dedication from our wonderful team at the Alabama Department of Insurance. I am excited as to what the future holds for the Department of Insurance, and I am excited about the challenges ahead for me.”

—Walter A. Bell, the first from Alabama to serve as president of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, announcing his decision to leave his position as state insurance commissioner at the end of August. Several days later, Bell announced he accepted a position with Swiss Re.

Conservation Deferred?

“They are just doing this so they can sell the land more easily and make more money.”

—Nancy Vinson, a project manager with the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League, referring to a proposal to allow an undeveloped section of Kiawah Island beachfront to qualify for federal money for roads, flood insurance and renourishment, making it more attractive for development. U.S. Rep. Henry Brown introduced a bill to remove a section of the island from the protections of the federal Coastal Barrier Resources System. Land within the system does not qualify for federal flood insurance.

Gravely Guilty

“I could not be more ashamed than to be where I am today, mixed up in a judicial bribery scheme that I participated in. I realized that I was getting mixed up in it. And I will go to my grave wondering why. I have disappointed everyone in my life.”

—Mississippi tort attorney Richard “Dickie” Scruggs during his sentencing hearing when he was ordered to report to a federal prison in Kentucky on Aug. 4 to begin serving a five-year sentence for conspiring to bribe a judge. During his sentencing in June, many people gasped when Scruggs, 62, nearly fell to his knees as he stood before the judge. Scruggs had to be steadied by the hand of his attorney and then provided a chair. He stood back up and admitted his mistake.