Opinion ID: 1226703
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Branch's Complaint

Text: With Rigsby under seal, Branch filed this FCA action on August 2, 2006 and amended its complaint on June 22, 2007. [5] Like Rigsby, Branch alleges that the WYO insurer Defendants defrauded NFIP by misattributing wind damage and other non-flood losses to the flood policies subsidized or underwritten by the Government rather than correctly attributing such losses to causes that are covered by homeowners policies largely underwritten by themselves. But unlike Rigsby, Branch goes beyond these general allegations of wind/water fraud by detailing fifty-seven specific instances where Defendants allegedly overestimated flood damage on Louisiana properties. Branch contends that it discovered these specific instances of fraud when various insureds hired Branch to re-examine the adjustments conducted by Defendants. During the course of this employment, Branch alleges it discovered: a. numerous examples of minimal if any flood damage and obvious wind damage, with a WYO adjustment of 100% flood damage, b. buildings with substantial roof and other damage obviously caused by wind, and a high-water mark only inches off the floor, with all damage nonetheless attributed only to flood, and c. buildings with a substantial amount of flood damage but even more wind damage adjusted at or near flood policy limits with a relatively small portion of the loss attributed to wind. For each of the fifty-seven claimed instances of fraud, Branch lists the homeowner's address, his or her insurance company and policy number, the amount of flood damage paid by the federal government, and a dollar amount and explanation of the true flood damage to the properties. While Branch, like Rigsby, names State Farm and Allstate, it also names a host of WYO insurers that the Rigsbys did not sue. [6] Branch lodges specific factual allegations against each of the WYO insurers it sued.