Abstract
Property insurance is essential for hurricane recovery, yet timely and fair claims payouts are not guaranteed. Post-disaster litigation over denied or delayed claims is common but understudied in who sues and how this varies sociodemographically. Southwest Louisiana is well situated for such an analysis, where within two years after Hurricane Laura and Hurricane Delta hit the region in 2020, one in five federal civil litigation cases were filed, most regarding insurance. We collate 5,476 court records to geocode implicated properties and assess litigation patterns using property and sociodemographic data. We find litigation is 43 percent more likely in higher percent Black residential areas, with property value amplifying this disparity. Additionally, case duration is longer for residents in these areas, suggesting systemic procedural inequities. Our findings reveal how race, class, and geography relate to insurance litigation, a critical yet overlooked facet of procedural vulnerability that may contribute to inequitable disaster recovery outcomes in the United States.
