A Houston-attorney representing the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association in a lawsuit filed by the Brownsville Independent School District has admitted in court that the agent-in-charge of hurricane claim was “clearly a racist.”
As previously reported, attorney Steve Mostyn, who represents Brownsville ISD in their lawsuit against the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, requested hundreds of emails related to unpaid claims from the destruction caused by Hurricane Dolly in 2008. In that random search, there were dozens of racial slurs directly in reference to those within the claim. After being alerted to these emails Houston attorney Andrew McKinney, who represents TWIA, told a South Texas judge that one of the quasi-governmental agency's top officials, Bill Knarr, was a racist and that his view on minorities may have played a role in how he handled claims.
Brownsville ISD's attorney Steve Mostyn says, “Then they admitted they mishandled the claim, and they admitted that they hadn’t done it to the industry standard and they would have no defense, but then went on to say we should no longer be entitled to the emails any more."
Mostyn has since requested all emails sent between TWIA and the Texas Department of Insurance employee that contain the same racial slurs seen in the Knarr posts. Those are due on December 27th.
Mostyn continues, “When we get the emails, we will see all the folks that the emails went to in the company...it wasn’t like [this email] was sent between two or three guys. We...want to see how pervasive it is.”
TWIA has 75-billion dollars in insurance policies and is the only insurer who will cover the Texas coast. Mostyn says their next move is to ask the Texas Department of Insurance to conduct a market study of every past hurricane claim. He says he feels this issue goes beyond one isolated incident of bigotry.
Brownsville ISD v. TWIA Court Transcript
