Oxford lawyer Scruggs funds ad against GOP insurance commissioner hopeful
Anderson, a former state chief fiscal officer, said he’s not involved with the ad.
It’s unclear how Scruggs’ involvement could affect the outcome of the race between Chaney and Anderson on Tuesday, but some attribute the attorney with helping bring down George Dale, the longest- serving insurance commissioner in the nation.
“I am concerned that we are going from bad to worse with Mike Chaney,” Scruggs said. “He’s going to be insurance-friendly, at least to the extent George Dale was.”
At the end of July, Scruggs announced he was contributing $250,000 to Mississippians for Fair Elections, a PAC “created to raise awareness about the role the insurance commissioner plays.”
One reason he and Dale were at odds was because Scruggs’ law firm represented hundreds of property owners who sued insurers over unpaid claims after Hurricane Katrina while Dale sponsored a program to allow victims to resolve claims without seeking litigation.
Dale lost to Anderson in the August primary.
“After that, I would have just let this thing run its course,” Scruggs said last week. “But then (Chaney) attacked me personally.”
In a letter sent by Chaney’s campaign, the state senator calls Scruggs a “greedy” personal injury lawyer who has “made millions and millions of dollars by suing Mississippi businesses.”
Clarion Ledger
11/4/7
Magnolia Tribune
