Michael Carroll News
Business groups hopeful about Louisiana election results despite weak turnout
While Saturday’s Louisiana gubernatorial election may have motivated only a little more than one-third of registered voters to turn in ballots, business groups seemed upbeat about the election outcome.
Louisiana lawsuit alleges tribunal that adjudicates COVID-19 injury claims violated Constitution
A little-known federal agency charged with assessing claims of those who have suffered serious injuries after taking the COVID-19 vaccine is “a kangaroo court” that routinely rejects allegations of adverse medical events, according to a federal lawsuit filed in Louisiana.
Judge rejects adult entertainment group's position against Louisiana's age-verification law
An adult entertainment group’s legal challenge of a Louisiana law requiring age verification for state residents to access sexually explicit websites was dismissed in part by a federal judge.
Landry wins governor's race outright in low-turnout primary election
An anemic voter turnout and a “historic failure” of the state’s Democratic Party apparatus allowed Republican Jeff Landry to defy the polls and win Saturday’s governor’s race without the need for a runoff, a political analyst said.
Louisiana has more judges than states of similar size, state auditor finds
Compared to similarly sized states, Louisiana has the highest number of judges per capita – a total of 279 per about 4.6 million residents, or 6.1 judges for every 100,000 state residents, according to a new report from the Louisiana legislative auditor.
Jefferson Parish sheriff sued over alleged misuse of facial recognition technology
The Jefferson Parish sheriff and deputy sheriff are defendants in a federal lawsuit filed by a Georgia resident who said he was jailed for six days after being falsely linked by facial identification technology to purse thefts in Metairie.
Judicial funding policies may put state Supreme Court at odds with state law, audit concludes
Louisiana Supreme Court justices are divided over a state legislative auditor’s conclusion that administrative expenses for a supplemental compensation fund for judges were incorrectly paid using state general revenues.
Louisiana elected officials seek to protect local fishermen from imported shrimp
Louisiana elected officials are rallying to find solutions to help protect the state’s shrimp fishermen from cheap foreign shrimp that critics say is depriving shrimpers of their livelihood and undermining public health.
Auto dealer association chief Will Green named LABI president and CEO
The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry will continue to fight for tort reform and increased transparency and modernization of the state’s court system, according to Will Green, LABI’s newly selected president and CEO.
Louisiana legal system concerns highlighted during Lawsuit Abuse Awareness Week
Tort reform advocates highlighted their concerns about Louisiana’s legal climate during Lawsuit Abuse Awareness Week beginning on Oct. 2, with grassroots groups trying to drum up support for legal reforms in the governor’s race and among voters around the state.
Appeals court delays contested Gulf of Mexico offshore oil lease sale date to Nov. 8
A controversial offshore oil and gas lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico will be delayed until Nov. 8, leaving the Biden administration’s proposed acreage restrictions on the sale unsettled for now, a federal appeals court has decided.
4 Baton Rouge officers charged in ongoing 'Brave Cave' abuse investigation
Four Baton Rouge police officers have been charged with crimes as a result of an internal investigation into a disbanded street-crimes unit, whose members have also become the target of civil lawsuits alleging police abuses and sexual humiliation.
Fifth Circuit puts the brakes on effort to redraw Louisiana's congressional map
Plaintiffs seeking to redraw Louisiana’s congressional map to ensure Black residents have equal voting power are appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate an October court hearing on drawing up a new redistricting plan.
Judge's order in property insurance claim upends embattled MMA law firm's contingency fee contracts
Recent federal court decisions have ratcheted up financial pressures on McClenny, Mosley & Associates, the Houston law firm facing federal disciplinary proceedings related to a mass-filing about 1,600 property-claims lawsuits in western Louisiana last year.
State courts reject injunction to block enforcement of Louisiana abortion restrictions
Two Louisiana courts have denied abortion-rights supporters a path to block the enforcement of Louisiana statutes establishing a near-total abortion ban in the state in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade last year.
Court rejects hedge funds' petition to intervene in MMA disciplinary case
A judge has denied a bid by Florida hedge funds to intervene in federal disciplinary proceedings in Louisiana against a Houston law firm accused of unethical and illegal actions for mass-filing hurricane-damage claims in the Bayou State.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield Louisiana withdraws plan for merger with for-profit insurer
Public hearings on the proposed sale of the nonprofit health insurer Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana to for-profit Elevance Health have been sidelined for now, though the parties hope to refile the proposal sometime in the future.
Federal lawsuits allege Baton Rouge police abused citizens at 'Brave Cave'
Two recent federal lawsuits accuse the Baton Rouge Police Department of illegal activities at what has become known as the “Brave Cave,” a nondescript warehouse where a 47-year-old plaintiff said she was subject to humiliating body-cavity searches.
Biden administration to appeal injunction on scaled-back Gulf oil lease plan
The Biden administration is moving to appeal a federal judge’s Sept. 21 decision approving an injunction to block environmental restrictions on a pending oil and gas lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico.
Judge hears oral arguments on Louisiana's challenge to FEMA flood insurance maps
Oral arguments were held last week in a federal lawsuit spearheaded by the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office that argues new federal flood-risk mandates will burden Louisiana homeowners with skyrocketing property insurance premiums.