Back in July Michael posted about the indictment of Texas attorney Warren Todd Hoeffner and two former employees of Hartford Insurance on charges that Hoeffner paid $3 million to the adjusters, and bought them BMWs, in connection with settlements of silicosis suits that grossed $34 million for his clients and brought more than $5 million in fees for himself. Hoeffner has now filed an answer and cross-claim (PDF) which lays out his side of the story. The WSJ law blog summarizes some of the high points of the answer, which depicts Hoeffner as himself the victim of extortion by the Hartford and its employees.