Katrina Victim Sues For $3 Quadrillion

Federal Government Hit With 489,000 Claims For Damages Sustained During 2005 Hurricane

(AP)  Hurricane Katrina's victims have put a price tag on their suffering and it is staggering - including one plaintiff seeking the unlikely sum of $3 quadrillion.

A whopping $3,014,170,389,176,410 is the dollar figure so far sought from some of the largest claims filed against the federal government over damage from the failure of levees and flood walls following the Aug. 29, 2005, hurricane.

Of roughly 489,000 total claims, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it has received 247 for at least $1 billion apiece, including the one for $3 quadrillion.

"That's the mother of all high numbers," said Loren Scott, a Baton Rouge-based economist.

For the sake of perspective: A mere $1 quadrillion would dwarf the U.S. gross domestic product, which Scott said was $13.2 trillion in 2007. A stack of one quadrillion pennies would reach Saturn.

Some residents may have grossly exaggerated their claims to send a message to the corps, which has accepted blame for poorly designing the failed levees.

"I understand the anger," Scott said. "I also understand it's a negotiating tactic: Aim high and negotiate down."

Daniel Becnel, Jr., a lawyer who said his clients have filed more than 60,000 claims, said measuring Katrina's devastation in dollars and cents is a nearly impossible task.

"There's no way on earth you can figure it out," he said. "The trauma these people have undergone is unlike anything that has occurred in the history of our country."

The corps released zip codes, but no names, for the 247 claims of at least $1 billion. The list includes a $77 billion claim by the city of New Orleans. Fourteen involve a wrongful death claim. Fifteen were filed by businesses, including several insurance companies.

Little is known about the person who claimed $3 quadrillion. It was filed in Baker, 93 miles northwest of New Orleans. Baker is far from the epicenter of Katrina's destruction, but the city has a trailer park where hundreds of evacuees have lived since the storm.

Katrina, which is blamed for more than 1,600 deaths in Louisiana and Mississippi, is considered the most destructive storm to ever hit the U.S. It caused at least $60 billion in insured losses and could cost Gulf Coast states up to $125 billion, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Most of the claims were filed before a deadline that coincided with Katrina's second anniversary, but the Corps is still receiving them - about 100 claims have arrived over the past three weeks - and is feeding them into a computer database.

The Corps said it isn't passing judgment on the merits of each claim. Federal courts are in charge of deciding if a claim is valid and how much compensation is warranted.

"It's important to the person who filed it, so we're taking every single claim seriously," said Corps spokeswoman Amanda Jones.

[watchdogks]

The United States is not responsible for these people or their homes. I have to carry insurance on my home and if i were in a flood plane i would have to carry flood insurance. If I were under an order to evacuate I would leave if i didn''t and died well that is my problem. If you are filing a wrongful death suit then you are guilty of man slaughter for not getting your family members out of harms way their blood is on your hands... Your stupid Mayor Schoolbus nagin is the laughing stock of the country he could have ordered all those busses be used for evacuation purposes and did not just let them flood with everything else.

[rbailey31]

IS THAT AT ALL POSSIBLE 2-SUE-4 ????? IS 3 QUAD. AN ACTUAL AMOUNT OF $$$$$$$$ ???????? I DON''T KNOW BOUT THIS !!!! I MEAN I REALIZE HOW MUCH IT WAS TRULY DEVESTATING 2 GO THROUGH ,,BUT 3 QUAD ?????

[watchdogks]

Give me a break 3 quadrillion dollars for christ sake that is an impossible amount of devistation there is not that much money in the whole world come back with something reasonable and stop wasting the courts time you idiot

[nayotobin505]

WOW, I almost cried after reading many of your comments, and I am just wondering where your HEART is. It is so frustrating to hear people that have no idea what it feels like to have something tragic like that happen to you, your family and everyone you know. It is SO easy for you to say, that those people are lazy and just looking for handouts, but how do you really know what is going on. One person said don''t they have insurance, now do you really think that the insurance companies are going out of their way to help or do you think they are doing everything in their power so they don''t have to pay any claims. I agree that they the amount they are suing for is ridiculous, but we are supposed to have a democratic government, one that is for the people, of the people and by the people. I would imagine that as a "human being" that you would ATLEAST feel compassion for these people that have lost everything. How would you feel if something like this happened to you. What if you ived in New Orleans or New York. This type of mentality is the exact reason why are country is at war, why so many people are poor, homeless, on drugs, and etc. Maybe you should try to put your self in their shoes. Or wait, you can''t even conceive of something like that happening to you. Really where is your heart, your love for people? I think we forget sometimes and take for granted how blessed we are .It could have been anyone of us screaming for help!!!!

[watchdogks]

You have got to be Kidding me... To believe that a federal judge will actually have to here this nonsense is unbelievable... The federal government has no responsibility here you cannot prepare for every disaster and guarantee that the levee''s are not going to break...For gods sake they were holding back the ocean... All these people in New Orleans need to get off their butts and help them selves and not expect the tax payers to bail them out... It is time to pass tort reform through the federal justice system I just hope they don''t waste tax payers money and throw all these cases out with such ridiculous amounts for that reason alone and make these idiots refile for something reasonable.

[kenews]

This is just typical of the lottery mentality of litigation in the American public''s mind: just throw some absurd claim out there and see what you get from it. The problem here is that these people are suing the U.S. government and the U.S. government doesn''t have any money that isn''t our money, i.e. TAXES. In effect, they are suing us, and themselves. Should all these claims be paid, or even a significant fraction of them, our economy and society would collapse. But greed begets foolishness, and our society today thrives on greed and the concept that big bucks are equivalent to happiness. Howard Hughes discovered that wasn''t true. So did that stripper who married the 98 year old billionair. Can''t for the life of me remember her name. Oh well, she''s dead. So is her son. So, who cares.

[scully152]

kcpeter1, No, it wasn''t the government who caused the hurricane but it was the goverments fault for not building a levee to fully protect N.O. They KNEW there was problems with the levee and did nothing to fix it. You are right, they CHOSE to live in a hurricane zone AND below sea level. They DO deserve some assistance but not in the billions. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "...Second, the destruction of your homes and lives were from the Hurricane and Flooding, it wasn''''t the Government who came up to your house and physically dumped an Ocean on it.... because you CHOSE to live in a Hurricane infested area that you deserve that much money?... You should get a chance to start a new life with SOME assistance I agree, but you definitely DO NOT deserve to be a billionaire....Posted by kcpeter1 "

[kim21221]

They are just greedy people who dont want to work for the rest of their lazy lives. Its disgusting

[ooze2b]

Umm... didn''t anyone in the city have insurance? What the hell areall those premiums for if not this?

[jstforyu]

I live in a flood zone and cant buy flood insurance because of my local government does not offer it and can not get a loan on my property without showing proof of flood insurance. I accept those facts and dont expect the government or anyone else to come to my rescue if and when my home gets flooded and I have to move, or it destroys everything I own, (even though I pay my fair share of taxes!) I put myself in this situation and can not or will not blame anyone else for my misfurtunes, So I dont think that anyone in New Orleans should be complaining about how little help they have recieved or they cant move back or what ever! You people made your bed, now lie in it! Or you can pull up your boot staps up and move on !create your own opportunities! help yourself! (its Not our job)

[kcpeter1]

This story makes me sick. First of all, living in New Orleans, you know the risk of Hurricanes. Second, the destruction of your homes and lives were from the Hurricane and Flooding, it wasn''t the Government who came up to your house and physically dumped an Ocean on it. So you cannot blame the Government for Mother Nature''s creations. And who do these people think they are that they deserve $1Billion??? There are so many things happening in this world and how do you warrant that because you CHOSE to live in a Hurricane infested area that you deserve that much money? I know they have suffered and may have lost many personal MATERIALISTIC THINGS and even family members, but that doesn''t mean that you then deserve $1 Billion in return. Shame on you that you would justify your loss with money. You should get a chance to start a new life with SOME assistance I agree, but you definitely DO NOT deserve to be a billionaire. Greedy people make me SICK!

[gunnerv1]

Don''t hold your breath waiting for any of the money you "claim" is yours!

[alanmac2007]

Any lawyer involved in these cases should be disbarred. This is outrageous. Being from MS and loosing everything I own in Katrina, hearing these outrageous complaints makes my blood boil. The Federal Government isn%u2019t in the business of rebuilding lives. People in MS did receive a helping hand, but we worked with what we were given. We simply didn%u2019t reach out for a check and expect everything to be done for us. Roll up your sleeves and get your lives back in order. A little sweat equity goes a long way. If you really want to point a finger and blame somebody for wrongdoing, blame yourself for electing crooked politicians. You proved that the status quo if ok with you when you reelected Jefferson.

[klingon69]

I have travelled extensively across the USA and I can tell you, There is NOTHING UNITED about the states of america.
Posted by netwrkguy at 03:21 AM : Jan 11, 2008
About the only time the US is truly united is in response to an external threat. Our politics, entertainment, sports...etc push this. Red states, blue states, the gray and the blue, Tennessee vs Florida...etc.
However during an external threat like 9-11 and Pearl Harbor, Americans became one people.

[klingon69]

bigsis9903, I could not agree with you more. ~~~~~~~~~~~ I was severely disappointed in the McDonald''''''''s hot coffee spilled incident. So what if it''''''''s not labeled? You can argue any side of a case using the right words. I blame the judges for letting stupid people like that actually win that much. Posted by bigsis9903
Posted by scully152 at 10:06 PM : Jan 10, 2008
How about the hot-pickle lawsuits? A woman bit into a burger and burned her lip on a hot pickle slice, she sued for pain and suffering. Her husband sued because it caused his wife to not be able to perform her wifely duties. I believe they both won.

[klingon69]

I agree with your emphasis on THOSE places but THOSE places, including private business, hospitals, insurance companies, etc. have weaseled their way out of responsibility and what are those people supposed to do then? They go up a notch. It''''s a natural process and I don''''t see why people are so offended by it.
Posted by bigsis9903 at 09:33 PM : Jan 10, 2008
Well, since you have purported to have friends/family in government employ, they should hold some resposibility for not whistleblowing, or early warning. And since you are related to some, you should carry the blame for not reporting/testifying. Just taking the next step up.

[klingon69]

The levee''''s were not just inadequately built people, it was planned to have the levee''''s by the 9th ward blown to save the French Quarter. They don''''t tell you that in the news, but as a local, with friends and family with gov''''t jobs... That''''s what happened. News Flash!
Posted by bigsis9903 at 09:22 PM : Jan 10, 2008
And you can of course substantiate all these "rumors"?

[klingon69]

Also, if the gas station price gouged then THEY should be sued as well. Worse comes to worse, they COULD have walked (with the exception of the elderly and infirm). Elderly and infirm people should have been THE first ones on the buses.
Posted by scully152 at 09:20 PM : Jan 10, 2008
I wonder what the Titanic would''ve been if people from NO were the passengers?
During the icestorm we had here in 2000, one station in our town raised the price for gas, about 15 cents. He was closed down for a week, and received a $10k fine. Of course a state of emergency had been declared.

[lukkyday]

It is crazy to see how many people expect the government to give give give. If you live in New Orleans, you live below sea level. Take responsibility for your decision to live there. People in other parts of the country have a great concern with bailing out the Katrina victims. There is a level to help you get on your feet, then there is rebuilding in the same place, to me that is crazy. I live in tornado alley in the midwest, should I rely on the government to build basements for everyone who lives in the midwest, I think not. It is all part of the choices we make. How easily people forget the words of JFK, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what can you do for your country".

[ooze2b]

Kudos, downtowner97, kudos.

Certainly the people of New Orleans should receive aid from the federal government -- but please forgive the rest of us if we don''t get down on our knees and flog ourselves, pledging our lives'' fortunes to make everything all better for those who chose to live in New Orleans. Can I sue Mr. $3 quadrillion for taking money away from the programs and projects that affect me and my family?