HOUGHTALING LAW FIRM - Key Persons
With more than 15 years of experience as a legal assistant in handling first-party property loss claims, Ms. Allen has assisted Mr. Brian Houghtaling in handling thousands upon thousands of claims for victims of Hurricanes Katrina, Ike, Gustav, Isaac, Sandy, Maria, Harvey, Florence, Laura, Delta, and now Ida. Ms. Allen is no stranger to property loss, as she and her family lost their home to a house fire in 2017. She successfully negotiated a policy limits recovery on behalf of herself and her family. It is with that same passion that she continues to assist Houghtaling Law Firm clients today, which she refers to as "firm family."
Mrs. Allen is a native of Louisiana and is a resident of Luling where she lives with her husband and two children. Born and raised on the bayou, she grew up learning about hard work. Ms. Allen began her legal career in 2002, working in Family Law. In 2007, she decided to make a change and began working with Mr. Houghtaling on Hurricane Katrina property loss claims.
As a native New Orleanian, Mr. Houghtaling and his family were victims of Hurricane Katrina. The unjust treatment his family, friends and neighbors received from their insurance companies led Mr. Houghtaling to dedicate his work to helping those affected by unfair insurance practices. He handled over 1,000 Hurricane Katrina claims resulting in millions in recovery for his clients.
Most recently, Mr. Houghtaling handled over 1,000 New York and New Jersey Hurricane Sandy claims. During Hurricane Sandy litigation, Mr. Houghtaling was the attorney who discovered a fraudulently altered engineering report. The report had been deliberately changed in order to wrongly deny a policyholder's claim for structural damage. Mr. Houghtaling confronted the National Flood Insurance Program head on with undeniable proof of fraud perpetrated on Sandy victims. This widely publicized discovery dramatically impacted the lives of thousands of Hurricane Sandy victims, and the flood insurance industry at large. Mr. Houghtaling's revelation about the rampant fraud and underpayment in the National Flood Insurance Program led to FEMA's public admissions of wrongdoing and the re-opening of over 144,000 previously closed flood claims. Mr. Houghtaling's relentless efforts on behalf of policyholders changed the course of history for FEMA and the National Flood Insurance Program.
Mr. Houghtaling's litigation experience also extends beyond property insurance. He was a passionate and effective advocate for Gulf Coast residents and business owners who suffered damages as a result of the BP Oil Spill. Mr. Houghtaling is an avid fisherman and owns shrimp and oyster businesses in Louisiana, both of which felt the effects of the BP Oil Spill. Mr. Houghtaling represented fishermen, residents and businesses along the entire Gulf Coast in an effort to find justice after a tragedy that personally affected him and so many Gulf Coast natives.
With both law and Master of Business Administration degrees, Mr. Houghtaling brings a depth of knowledge to his practice. Mr. Houghtaling earned his Juris Doctor at the Loyola University School of Law and a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science at the University of New Orleans.
Mr. Houghtaling was admitted to the Louisiana bar in 2006 and is licensed to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Louisiana and the Southern and Eastern Districts of Texas. He is a member of the New Orleans, Louisiana, American and Federal Bar Associations, the Louisiana and American Associations for Justice, the National Association of Public Adjusters, the National Apartment Association, the Apartment Association for Greater New Orleans and the Sigma Iota Epsilon Management Fraternity.
Job Titles:
- of COUNSEL
- Founder and Managing Partner of the O'Bell Law Firm
ric J. O'Bell has extensive litigation experience handling storm cases dating back to Hurricane Katrina and has represented hundreds of individuals and business in recovering funds from their insurance companies for wind and flood damage and for business interruption claims.
Mr. O'Bell is also the founder and managing partner of the O'Bell Law Firm, LLC, a litigation firm that serves clients across the country in areas of securities and consumer class actions, shareholder derivative actions, mass tort class actions and complex litigation. Mr. O'Bell has handled several landmark cases during a 25 year career achieving consistent and successful results for clients, which range from individuals, businesses, and public pension funds. Mr. O'Bell has served as lead, co-lead counsel and liaison counsel in numerous state and national class actions and litigated cases in over 25 states and several foreign countries. He serves as a frequent lecturer on Louisiana class action procedure and multi-district litigation and is a member of the Louisiana and Pennsylvania State Bar Associations. Mr. O'Bell was named to Super Lawyers 2018 and 2019 in the practice areas of Class Action/Mass Torts, Securities Litigation, and Products Liability.
s. Robertson has more than 7 years of experience as a legal assistant in varying aspects of the law with a focus on first-party property damage. She enjoys helping homeowners get what they deserve and has successfully assisted in the recovery of claims for victims of Hurricanes Sandy, Harvey, Laura, Delta and now Hurricane Ida.
Ms. Robertson is a native of Louisiana and a resident of DesAllemands where she lives with her four children. Born and raised in Louisiana she enjoys cooking for her friends and family. She prides herself on her work ethic and is excited for this career change in joining the Houghtaling Law Firm to assist clients in the recovery process of their losses.