Michael Carroll News
Federal judge dismisses emissions lawsuit against LaPlace chemical plant
A federal judge has swatted down a second environmental lawsuit alleging that a chemical company’s operations have caused medical problems and health risks for the plant’s neighbors in St. John the Baptist Parish.
Attorney for Louisiana law enforcement group cautions against tossing qualified immunity
The attorney who represents the Louisiana Fraternal Order of Police is cautioning state lawmakers to think twice about doing away with qualified immunity for law enforcement officers.
Louisiana unemployment agency faces class action over alleged failures to provide benefits
Louisiana residents who say they were unfairly denied unemployment benefits during the coronavirus pandemic have filed a federal class-action lawsuit that alleges the Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC) mishandled thousands of cases.
Baton Rouge advertising firm sues over digital billboard rules in Kentucky county
A Baton Rouge-based advertising company is suing a Kentucky county in federal court, alleging that the Lexington-Fayette government’s policies on regulating digital billboards are unconstitutional.
Oil industry calls coastal erosion settlement authorized by Landry misguided, flawed
Louisiana oil industry representatives and others blasted a multi-million-dollar coastal-erosion settlement authorized Thursday by Attorney General Jeff Landry as misguided and flawed, arguing that it fails to address the underlying issue of coastal restoration
$300 million industrial flare settlement fuels call for updated federal rules
A $300 million settlement that will reduce industrial flare pollution at two Louisiana chemical plants strengthens arguments that the federal standards governing such flares need to be overhauled, according to an environmental attorney.
Louisiana lifting oyster lease moratorium in the wake of erosion, litigation
A decades-long moratorium on new oyster leases in coastal Louisiana is ending, raising hopes that one of the mainstays of Louisiana cuisine will stage a comeback after years of environmental setbacks and litigation.
Louisiana's employee misclassification panel urged not to impose hefty fines on businesses
Business groups have urged a state task force studying the problem of employee misclassifications not to saddle businesses with onerous new regulations.
Second trucking firm files RICO lawsuit to recoup losses in staged accident
A second trucking company that was scammed during a wide-ranging conspiracy to stage traffic accidents has filed a federal racketeering lawsuit against several defendants, including the King Law Firm and manager-attorney Jason Giles.
Louisiana high court rejects extended monitoring of judge who groped waitress
The Louisiana Supreme Court turned down a recommendation to extend a part-time Kaplan City Court judge’s judicial probation period that was imposed after he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor crimes stemming from a groping incident at his January 2017 bachelor party.
Tangipahoa Parish sheriff ends COVID-19 lawsuit filed against China
The Tangipahoa Parish’s sheriff has dropped a class-action lawsuit he filed against China on behalf of sheriff’s departments across the nation that have suffered serious financial hits due to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic
Landry seeks to intervene in Jefferson Parish school discipline lawsuit
Attorney General Jeff Landry has asked to intervene in a federal lawsuit filed on behalf of a Jefferson Parish fourth-grader who was targeted for expulsion after briefly handling a BB gun during a virtual class
Biden's remarks reignite debate over 'Cancer Alley' public health issues
Louisiana officials have labeled President Biden’s recent use of the phrase “Cancer Alley” to describe Louisiana’s key industrial corridor as an unfair slam against the state.
Lawsuit alleges Jefferson Parish school board violated open-meetings law
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry has sued the Jefferson Parish School Board and its disciplinary review panel in state court, arguing that board personnel violated Louisiana’s open-meetings law.
Landry sues reporter who filed records request about harassment complaints
Attorney General Jeff Landry is suing a newspaper reporter who made a public records request seeking copies of sexual harassment complaints about one of Landry’s lieutenants.
Louisiana trucking industry is in for the long haul on tort reforms
Louisiana’s trucking industry doesn’t expect any instant benefits such as lower vehicle insurance rates and fewer litigation burdens as a result of the Civil Justice Reform Act of 2020 taking effect Jan. 1.
Louisiana energy officials oppose Biden executive orders, halt to oil leases
President Biden’s decisions to revoke the permit for the Keystone XL oil pipeline and halt leasing and permitting on federal lands pose a major threat to Louisiana’s economy and middle-class jobs, industry representatives and many elected officials said.
New polling on attorney advertising hits home in Louisiana; Most people say it is 'annoying'
A new national survey showing 65 percent of Americans see attorney advertising as annoying and an attempt to take advantage of consumers seems to be resonating with legal observers in Louisiana.
Eastern District of Louisiana revamps juror selection system
The federal court in the Eastern District of Louisiana is revamping its jury selection system to better ensure that jurors in civil and criminal cases reflect an accurate cross-section of the population it serves.
'Spotter' in staged big-rig accidents sentenced to 21-month jail term
The first prison sentence has been handed out in the continuing investigation by the U.S. attorney into staged auto accidents designed to defraud trucking companies and insurers.