Louisiana Voice

It’s no real surprise that Jeff Landry would veto HB 423 by State Rep. Michael Melerine (R-Shreveport). He is, after all, an attorney and he did receive considerable support in the form of campaign contributions from trial attorneys across the state.

So, when the legislature passed Melerine’s bill which would have REDUCED PAYOUTS in personal injury cases, it represented the first real chasm between Landry and the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, which had backed the bill.

But the siren song of bar association political contributions was just too enticing for Landry to turn his back on fellow attorneys.

But the real story is the how and why of the bill’s origin.

Oh, the business has long wanted tort reform to ease the pain of having to open their wallets, of course. And Landry, for the most part, has been sympathetic to the needs of the conservative business interests.

Perhaps that was the reasoning behind Melerine’s filing of the bill. Or could it have been the long list of clients represented by his boss’s law firm.

Melerine is an attorney in the law firm of Seabaugh Sepulvado. The founding partner of the firm is State Sen. Alan Seabaugh (R-Shreveport).

But even more telling is the impressive list of clients represented by Seabaugh Sepulvado, according to the firm’s own Web page:

• The Hanover Insurance Group
• Louisiana Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company
• Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company
• Texas Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company
• Oklahoma Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company
• Arkansas Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company
• Permanent General Assurance Corporation
• Homesite Home Insurance
• GuideOne Mutual Insurance Company
• GuideOne Specialty Mutual Insurance Company
• Southern United Fire Insurance Company
• Louisiana Restaurant Association
• Indigo Minerals LLC
• NextEra Energy Resources
• EnSight IV Energy Partners LLC
• San Saba Royalty Company LLC
• CNC Oilfield Services LLC
• Barksdale Federal Credit Union
• Century Surety Company
• Norris Ferry Landing HOA
• Air-U Shreveport, LLC.
• Quality Exteriors, Inc.
• Camterra Resources, Inc.
• Retail Merchants Association, Inc.
• Temple Baptist Church of Ruston
• Presbyterian Village Nursing Home of Homer
• Benton United Methodist Church
• Town and Country Nursing Center of Minden
• Shiloh Baptist Church of Shreveport
• Springs of Grace Baptist Church, Shreveport
• Springfield Baptist Church
• Apostolic Faith Tabernacle of Shreveport
• Airline Lawn and Pool
• Scott Welch Homes, L.L.C.
• Andersen Properties, Inc.
• McClelland Properties, Inc.
• South Highlands Athletic Association
• Consolidated Title and Abstract, L.L.C.
• Trinity Development of Shreveport, L.L.C.
• PDR Marketing and Management, L.L.C.
• In The Zone, L.L.C.
• Southern Bliss, L.L.C.

Not that any of these firms, churches or other entities has one shred of negativity, but there is always the possibility of a slip and fall, or some other cause of injury of death or negligence on the part of any one of them, so it’s always good to have capable legal representation – just in case.

At the same time, that splendid list of insurance companies represented by Seabaugh Sepulvado gives us pretty good insight to the real inspiration behind the bill.

Just sayin’…

Oh, and here’s a headline from the Wall Street Journal that should give every homeowner a warm fuzzy:

Insurers Rake In Profits as Customers Pay Soaring Premiums