Calling it by its real name.

State Farm accused of Katrina racketeering

Wednesday's lawsuit on behalf of Mississippi Gulf Coast homeowners is the first in which Scruggs and his legal team accused an insurer of violating the civil Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organization Act, commonly known as RICO.

Scruggs, who helped negotiate a multibillion dollar settlement with tobacco companies in the mid-1990s, said he had filed similar civil RICO suits against tobacco companies. They are tougher cases to build, but can carry stiffer penalties, he added.

"The facts call out for this kind of remedy," he said. "It puts their license to do business at risk if they lose (the case), for one thing."

About time someone called them out. Racketeering is exactly the right word for it.