Appeals Court rules against Coast restaurant owners

BAY ST. LOUIS — The state Court of Appeals has upheld a ruling that the owners of Trapani’s Eatery in Bay St. Louis cannot collect more than $300,000 they claimed to be owed by a local insurance agent after their business washed away in Hurricane Katrina.

A Hancock County judge ruled against Anthony Trapani in 2010. Trapani and his wife had sued David Treutel Jr., a longtime insurance agent, following the 2005 storm. The couple claimed he failed to place as much insurance on their restaurant as they ordered before Katrina.

Because Treutel had under-insured the property, the Trapanis alleged, they ultimately received $314,678 less from insurance proceeds than anticipated. Their lawsuit sought that much in damages.

Circuit Judge Roger Clark ruled that the Trapanis did not prove their case.