A View From The Press Box

As reported by our own Dan Hays (click here for the full story), Mr. Scruggs, along with four other attorneys (one of whom was his son), is accused of conspiring to bribe a state court judge.

The news comes on the heels of another "stop the presses" moment this week--the announcement by Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., that he'll be leaving Congress before year's end. (See yesterday's blog entry for details.)

Sen. Lott started pushing legislation to strip the industry of its cherished antitrust exemption after suing State Farm on his own Katrina claim. Who did he hire to represent him? The firm of his brother-in-law, Mr. Scruggs! (A funny alliance for a champion of tort reform like Sen. Lott, to be sure, but politics does indeed make for strange bedfellows)

Of course, Mr. Scruggs is innocent until proven guilty. But since this is the second legal mess he's faced of late--this summer, criminal contempt charges were brought against him by special federal prosecutors in Alabama over his alleged mishandling of evidence in a case against State Farm--he should have his hands full. That means he'll have less time, perhaps, to go after insurers.

If anyone can get Mr. Scruggs off the hook, it's Mr. Scruggs. He is a clever and resourceful attorney. But if he is convicted, insurers wouldn't shed any tears.