A judge has rejected the government’s request to throw out a lawsuit that seeks to block large premium hikes on millions of federal flood insurance policies.
The ruling by a federal judge in New Orleans means that a lawsuit filed by 10 Republican attorneys general challenging premium hikes could go to trial, although the judge urged the two sides to “engage in settlement negotiations.”
The Louisiana-led lawsuit is the most significant threat to the government’s recent move incorporating climate change into flood risk calculations. Premiums are slated to rise for more than 3 million policies, with some annual rates increasing by as much as $7,000.
Judge Darrel Papillion gave the government a partial victory in his ruling Thursday by denying the states’ request to halt the premium hikes immediately.
