BATON ROUGE (AP) —The state of Louisiana is dropping lawsuits against thousands of homeowners accused of misspending grants to elevate their homes after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Following the destructive hurricanes, about 32,000 homeowners received elevation grants, typically $30,000 each, on the promise they would raise their houses to prevent future flooding. But some homeowners said they had been told that they could use the money for repairs, according to an investigation by The Times-Picayune, The New Orleans Advocate, WWL-TV and ProPublica. In an effort to recoup the grants that hadn’t been spent properly, the state sued about 3,500 homeowners — seeking repayment of $103 million.
