- New Orleans to Get Spill Cases
The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation has given the BP oil spill cases to U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier in New Orleans. The panel reasoned in its order that New Orleans was the “geographic and psychological center of gravity" for the group of actions that include suits for wrongful death, economic damage and environmental damage. According to the National Law Journal story, there are 77 actions so far and “more than 200 potential tag-along cases” with additional defendants like Halliburton and Transocean.
Earlier this month, news reports covered the MDL panel hearing in Boise as lawyers from around the country argued for different venues. Lawdragon 500 member Russ Herman, of New Orleans' Herman Herman Katz & Cotlar, was one of those who pushed for New Orleans. Interestingly, Barbier is the judge who earlier had refused to recuse himself from spill cases despite previously having corporate bonds issued by Halliburton and Transocean. The 5th Circuit last month declined to order him to recuse himself.
The Times' story refers to the order as “a significant defeat for BP” and the other defendants because they had wanted the cases consolidated in BP’s Houston base, which may have been a more defendant-friendly environment. The MDL panel in a separate decision, however, chose Houston as its venue for the consolidation of claims by BP shareholders. The judge there will be U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison.
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| 06:11 AM Aug 11, 2010 | Email the Daily Dragon | Email this Article | Post Comments |
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