Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
New York Antitrust associate Sarah Horvitz petitioned FEMA to provide aid to Ms. D, a 41-year old survivor of Hurricane Katrina who suffered devastating destruction of her personal property during the hurricane. Ms. D had been renting a home at the time of the hurricane and while a FEMA inspector had noted extensive damage to the exterior of the building containing
Ms. D's belongings, FEMA had not formally assessed the damage to the interior of the building and to Ms. D's personal property. Without a formal inspection of the damage, FEMA stonewalled Ms. D's request for aid. Sarah gathered extensive information from Ms. D and sent a letter to FEMA detailing the damage to Ms. D's property and her right to monetary aid. On September 18, more than a year after Hurricane Katrina, Ms. D received the aid she deserved.
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Washington, D.C. litigation associate Karen Woody successfully defended Mr. M. in his appeal against FEMA. In September 2005, Mr. M. received emergency aid for housing and additional rent assistance in January 2006. FEMA later demanded that Mr. M. return the funds he had received on the grounds that FEMA had errantly awarded assistance to two members of the same household. FEMA hastily handed out assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina only to realize later that some households had received duplicate funds. However, FEMA did not err in awarding assistance to Mr. M. Although he and his landlord lived in the same dwelling, Mr. M. had been paying rent and thus should have been eligible for federal assistance separate from that awarded to the owner of the property. Karen devoted hours to being an advocate for Mr. M. before FEMA and her perseverance finally paid off. Karen helped her client appeal FEMA's demands, and secured a ruling on July 26, 2006 that Mr. M. was entitled to keep the federal assistance he had received.