ABC NEWS EXCLUSIVE: STATE FARM INSIDERS SPEAK OUT FOR FIRST TIME
ABOUT ALLEGED HURRICANE KATRINA INSURANCE FRAUD --
ABC NEWS CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT BRIAN ROSS
REPORTS ON �20/20,� FRIDAY, AUGUST 25
Plus: Bob Brown Reports on an Unusual Marriage �
A Couple from Two Different Cultures Bound by a Genetic Disorder
When a Wealthy Couple Who Never Marry Part Ways � What Happens with the Money?
In an exclusive report on the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, ABC News chief investigative correspondent Brian Ross investigates allegations of fraud in the handling of Katrina-related damage claims in Mississippi by State Farm Insurance. Speaking publicly for the first time, two State Farm insiders, Cori and Kerri Rigsby, claim supervisors in their Mississippi office demanded that outside engineers change or bury damage reports so that State Farm would not have to pay the claims. The Rigsby sisters, who worked as independent adjustors for State Farm for eight years, have provided thousands of documents to federal and state prosecutors in Mississippi. Their allegations are now a key part of a massive lawsuit against State Farm by policyholders who claim they were cheated. �Katrina was devastating. But so was State Farm,� says Cori Rigsby. �Until this storm, we were very proud to work with State Farm,� she says. A lawyer for State Farm, Wayne Drinkwater, says the company paid more than a billion dollars in claims in Mississippi and denies State Farm cheated anyone. The report airs on �20/20,� FRIDAY, AUGUST 25 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.
And: There is nothing uncommon when a man and a woman get married in July, except when it is a marriage between two people with Down Syndrome. As Bob Brown reports, the world hasn�t seen many marriages like the one that was prepared for Carrie Bergeron, 29, and Sujeet Desai, 25, of Rome, New York. They would have two weddings, Hindu and Christian, and two magical celebrations. But more importantly, they were bringing their families, a community, their religions and a cause along with them � a cause that could have kept them apart. When they fell in love, their families, social workers and community united to create a plan that would enable the couple to marry, a rarity for people with Down Syndrome, who rely on others to care for their basic needs.
Also: A story that is a surprising example of what can happen when an ultra rich couple, who never marry, split up and go separate ways� For 17 years Peggy Horvath lived a life she had only read about growing up � as the lover, companion and, she says, the employee of a powerful businessman 27 years her senior, Bill Hubner, she jetted around the world, dined in the finest restaurants and hobnobbed with celebrities. But then it all changed, as the love turned to bitterness and Hubner �terminated� their personal and business relationship without any compensation. A jury awarded Horvath $10 million, which Hubner appealed. The appeal was settled out of court. ABC News correspondent Deborah Roberts updates the report which originally aired last year.
�20/20� is anchored by Elizabeth Vargas and John Stossel. David Sloan is the executive producer.
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