Michael Carroll News
New Orleans, plaintiffs settle lawsuit challenging city's social media policy for employees
Two New Orleans library employees have agreed to dismiss their lawsuit against the city after officials agreed to drop the city’s questionable restrictions on workers’ private social media posts.
Baton Rouge judge OKs liquidation of Lighthouse Property Insurance Co.
A Baton Rouge judge granted the Louisiana insurance commissioner’s motion to liquidate Lighthouse Property Insurance Co. late last month, marking the fourth insurer insolvency in the state in the wake of the 2020 and 2021 hurricane seasons.
State's high court hears arguments on making unanimous verdict ruling retroactive
The Louisiana Supreme Court heard oral arguments this week about whether a U.S. Supreme Court’s finding that non-unanimous jury verdicts are unconstitutional should apply retroactively to 1,500 Louisiana inmates.
COVID-19 lawsuits accuse Louisiana veterans home of medical malpractice
The families of two residents of the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Home in St. John the Baptist Parish who died during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 have filed medical malpractice lawsuits against the health care facility.
Louisiana property insurance market 'melting down' as legal climate worsens, insiders say
Louisiana’s property insurance market is headed toward a calamity as state lawmakers consider stiffer penalties on insurers who delay hurricane damage payouts and the state’s litigation climate becomes more hostile, industry groups say.
Judge green-lights lawsuit challenging grain elevator project in St. John Parish
A state judge last week rejected an attempt to dismiss a lawsuit brought by a community group that seeks to block a $400 million grain elevator project in St. John the Baptist Parish whose zoning was the product of “illegality and corruption.”
EPA probes racial bias in Louisiana air pollution permitting process
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has launched a probe into whether Louisiana’s environmental and health agencies have violated federal law by allowing dangerous air pollution in the predominantly Black John the Baptist Parish.
Federal rule change would overly burden Louisiana charter schools, officials say
Louisiana has joined 15 other states in opposing proposed new public charter school regulations, which critics say would add roadblocks when such schools apply for federal education grants.
New oil and gas development in Louisiana seen as unlikely despite high gasoline prices
Federal energy policy changes made in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine likely won’t result in more energy development in Louisiana, even as gasoline prices continue to spike, industry officials say.
Health care firms sued, accused of inflating Louisiana prescription drug prices
Louisiana’s attorney general has filed a lawsuit against a pharmacy services firm and United Healthcare of Louisiana, accusing the companies of exploiting supply-chain complexities that led to billions of dollars in inflated prescription drug prices.
Lafayette seeks to get last laugh by getting comedian to pay $33,000 in lawyer fees
A comedian who was sued by the Lafayette mayor-president over a made-up, satirical antifa event at a local mall is now on the hook for the consolidated government’s attorney fees after courts rejected motions to dismiss the lawsuit.
Landry to appeal ruling on administration's carbon costs formula to U.S. Supreme Court
Attorney General Jeff Landry will seek to overturn a federal appeals court decision this month that allows the Biden administration to apply its more costly formula for estimating the social costs of greenhouse gas emissions (SC-GHG).
Court ruling allows Louisiana to use federal COVID-19 relief funds for tax cuts
A federal district court decision will allow Louisiana to use American Rescue Plan funds allocated during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide tax relief to struggling small businesses, according to the Louisiana NFIB.
E-cigarette manufacturer, Louisiana settle marketing lawsuit for $10 million
An e-cigarette company has agreed to a $10 million settlement to end litigation brought by the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office that questioned Juul Labs’ marketing and sales practices and their impact on youth vaping in particular.
LaPlace Baptist church sues insurer, alleging slow response over property claims
A LaPlace church is suing its out-of-state insurance company for failure to pay for timely repairs the church sustained last year during a double punch from spring winds and flooding and Hurricane Ida at the end of August.
New civil litigation reforms facing uphill battle as Louisiana's car insurance rates remain high
Rising auto insurance rates in Louisiana and frustrations over insurers’ responses to Hurricane Ida may be dampening some state lawmakers’ support for civil litigation reforms, but tort-reform advocates say previously passed reforms will pay off in time.
Bill to ban the listing of judicial candidates' party affiliations seen as step backward
An election reform bill that would prohibit the party affiliation of Louisiana judicial candidates from being listed on voters’ ballots is advancing toward a floor vote in the state’s House of Representatives.
Federal judge sides with Tofurky maker, finds food-labeling law unconstitutional
Declaring a Louisiana food-labeling law unconstitutional, a federal judge has granted a plant-based meat products company’s motion for summary judgment in its lawsuit against the state’s agricultural commissioner.
Federal judge dismisses civil lawsuit challenging lethal injection protocols in Louisiana
The outcome of a civil lawsuit late last month could help Louisiana to remove obstacles to capital punishment and allow for the execution of those who have committed the most serious crimes against Louisianans, the state attorney general said.
Trial seen likely in hair braiders' lawsuit against Louisiana's cosmetology board
A trial appears on tap in a lawsuit filed by three Louisiana hair braiders who argue that state licensing regulations make it unconstitutionally burdensome for them to practice their desired profession.