Berkley Insurance Company must cover the legal bills of former Ascension Parish President Kenny Matassa in his successful fight against a March 2017 election bribery charge, a state appeals court says.
The appellate panel, which dispatched appeals from both sides in the dispute, also ruled that parish government can continue to pursue a trial over claims the insurer has been acting in bad faith by refusing to pay those bills.Â
In finding for parish government, the Louisiana 1st Circuit Court of Appeal overturned a lower court judge on the bad faith claim but upheld that same judge s finding that Berkley s policy had covered Matassa s legal bills of nearly $181,830 after a deductible.