Lawyer: Judge faults Allstate

A Santa Fe judge on Friday ruled that Allstate Insurance Co. violated fair-trade laws by forcing four New Mexicans to go to trial to collect damages for injuries in separate traffic accidents, the plaintiffs' lawyer said.

David Berardinelli, a local attorney who recently published a book critical of Allstate's methods, From Good Hands to Boxing Gloves, said state District Judge Barbara Vigil's ruling ended a trial that began Oct. 28.

Roxanne Martinez of Truchas, Charlie Jimenez of Tesuque, Adan Carriaga of Albuquerque and Christa Okon of Santa Fe filed a class-action lawsuit in 2006, after each of them had won judgments from Allstate that were far more than the company had offered to settle their cases, Berardinelli said.

He said Vigil said she would assess both compensatory and punitive damages because Allstate had tried to "extort and delay" by offering settlements that were only a fraction of what juries awarded the defendants. For example, Allstate offered Martinez $25,000 to settle, but a jury awarded her $160,000, Berardinelli said.

Attorneys for Allstate were not available for comment late Friday.

SFPS study session on school cuts

Santa Fe Public Schools hosts a special study session from 9 a.m. to noon today to address the 1 percent budget cut in education that the state imposed to deal with a revenue shortfall.

The session's agenda includes recommendations from Superintendent Bobbie Guttierez's budget advisory committee on reducing the current school year budget.

This meeting, scheduled at the school district's Educational Services Center, 610 Alta Vista St., is open to the public.

Free film program set today

In honor of American Indian Heritage Month, the New Mexico Filmmakers Program — a part of The New Mexico Film Office that supports state film artists — hosts a free public screening of about a dozen short films from noon to 3 p.m. today.

The screening will be at the New Mexico Film Museum (formerly the Jean Cocteau Theatre), 418 Montezuma Ave.

The slate of films includes Wes Studi's horror film Good Night, My Zombies, Jessie Weahkee's documentary Abraham Lincoln: A One-Side Story, an episode of Chris Kientz's animated series Raven Tales, and Raquel Chapa's Open Season, which looks at sexual abuse in Indian Country.

BLM proposing forest project

Federal officials are inviting public comment on a draft environmental assessment for a forest restoration project at Gorham Scout Camp, 10 miles southeast of Chimayó.

The Bureau of Land Management said the project would seek to reduce the camp's level of hazardous fuels, lessening the threat of catastrophic wildfires.

An area totaling more than 1,700 acres is proposed for treatment by mechanical thinning and prescribed fire.

The Gorham Scout Camp is on 2,443 acres purchased by the Boy Scouts of America from the BLM. The agency manages the vegetation, wildlife, and mineral and cultural resources.

The environmental assessment can be found on the BLM Taos Field Office home page at www.blm.gov/nm/st/en/fo/Taos_Field_Office.html

The public comment period will begin Nov. 23 and end Dec. 7. Comments can be e-mailed to Raul Hurtado at Raul_Hurtado@blm.gov, faxed to 575-758-1620, or mailed to the BLM Taos Field Office, 226 Cruz Alta Road, Taos, NM 87571.