The Associated Press |

GULFPORT, Miss. -- A lawsuit filed Tuesday by nearly 700 Gulf Coast homeowners accuses State Farm Insurance Co. of using a "one-size-fits-all" engineering report as the basis for refusing to cover damage to homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

The suit alleges that State Farm denied many of the homeowners' claims without investigating whether Katrina's wind or water was responsible for damage to their homes.

The suit claims the engineering firm hired by State Farm -- HAAG Engineering Co. of Dallas -- drafted a generic, "one-size-fits-all" report that concludes all damage to homes on Mississippi's Gulf Coast was caused by "storm surge" and not hurricane-force winds.

State Farm's policies cover wind damage, but storm surge is considered flood water and is excluded from coverage.

A HAAG spokesman dismissed the allegations as part of a "litigation strategy." State Farm spokesman Phil Supple said the company, which already has paid more than $1.1 billion in property claims stemming from Katrina, is "committed to paying what we owe."

The suit was filed by Richard "Dickie" Scruggs, a high-profile lawyer who already is suing four other insurance companies for denying claims after Katrina.

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