Michael Carroll News
Louisiana attorney general sues TikTok, alleging addictive effects on youth
Attorney General Liz Murrill is suing TikTok in state court, alleging that the social media platform is purposefully exposing Louisiana’s youth to sexual content, violence and drug and alcohol use in an “endless scroll” that’s addictive and dreamlike.
Court upholds Louisiana law requiring discounts for certain drugs dispensed at community pharmacies
A pharmaceutical company is appealing a federal judge’s recent ruling that upheld a Louisiana law requiring drug makers to provide discounts on certain outpatient drugs dispensed at community pharmacies under the terms of a 1992 federal statute.
Lawsuit Abuse Awareness Week highlights economic consequences of excessive litigation
After a year of successes and some setbacks, advocates of tort reform in Louisiana are observing Lawsuit Abuse Awareness Week to inform the public about the economic consequences and household costs of excessive litigation statewide.
Louisiana cosmetologists petition state regulatory board seeking right to jury trial
Several Louisiana cosmetologists have filed an administrative petition with the state board that licenses manicurists and hairdressers, demanding that the regulators uphold the petitioners’ right to a jury trial when hit with fines for enforcement violations.
Jury orders Louisiana Blue Cross to pay $421 million over fraud, rights abuses
A surgical hospital and doctors specializing in reconstructive breast surgery won a $421.5 million damages award last month against Blue Cross Blue Shield Louisiana, which was found to have been negligent for fraud and abuse of the plaintiffs’ rights.
Longtime Baton Rouge attorney and LSU grad Mary Olive Pierson remembered as trailblazer
Longtime Baton Rouge attorney Mary Olive Pierson, a trailblazing member of the local legal community and most recently known for her work in fighting the incorporation of St. George, died earlier this month after a career that spanned 54 years.
LSU museum director seeks to dismiss defamation allegation filed by Pennsylvania's Doug Mastriano
A military museum director at Louisiana State University is mounting a legal counter-offensive against an unsuccessful Pennsylvania U.S. Senate candidate, Doug Mastriano, arguing that the GOP state senator’s defamation lawsuit against him should be dismissed.
Louisiana judge rejects restraining order on hiring of new Caddo Parish superintendent
Community members challenging the process to select a new superintendent for the Caddo Parish School District are awaiting a First Judicial District Court judge’s decision next week on whether to enjoin the school board’s actions.
Baton Rouge mayor-president offers transition plan for breakaway St. George
Baton Rouge’s mayor-president has proposed a transition plan to allocate local revenues to the new city of St. George in the wake of the city’s Transition District authorizing a lawsuit against the city-parish over the transfer of sales tax revenues.
Claims severity, litigation seen as key reasons behind high Louisiana auto insurance rates
More expensive car insurance claims in Louisiana, along with associated litigation and inflationary pressures, have pushed up costs for policyholders as the state emerged from the coronavirus pandemic, a business professor recently told a legislative panel.
Federal court ruling allows Louisiana to end state Supreme Court consent decree
A 30-year-old federal consent decree that required Louisiana to protect the right of Black residents to select their preferred member of the state Supreme Court has been dissolved as a result of an appeals court ruling last month.
New Louisiana law allows release of mugshots of nonviolent offenders
A new Louisiana law took effect last month that allows mugshots of nonviolent offenders to be released to the public, one of several “tough-on-crime” measures that critics say could prejudice potential jurors and punish offenders trying to turn their lives around.
Environmental groups back rule forcing offshore oil companies to pay Gulf decommissioning costs
Environmental groups are defending a new federal rule that Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi are suing to overturn in a legal fight that will determine who pays the cost to decommission oil and gas wells in the Gulf of Mexico.
Groups sue to stop construction of methane gas facility in Cameron Parish
Environmental and community groups are calling on a state court to reject the Louisiana Department of Energy and Natural Resources’ permit allowing the construction of a methane gas liquefaction facility along the coastline at Cameron.
Judge bars EPA from enforcing civil rights provision to protect Louisiana minorities from pollution
A federal judge has barred the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from using a section of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 to protect Louisiana’s minority communities from “disparate” harm from air or water pollution.
Baton Rouge couple sues city's Police Department over strip search
A Baton Rouge couple is suing the city’s Police Department, police chief and multiple police officers in federal court, alleging that they suffered pain and humiliation from strip searches after their home was subjected to a drug raid last year.
Louisiana Public Service Commission settles litigation, agrees to small rate hike, pricing reforms
The Louisiana Public Service Commission and Entergy Louisiana have resolved years of litigation over policies and pricing related to nuclear energy and agreed to new retail electricity rates for Entergy customers in the state.
Louisiana attorney general urges court to dismiss lawsuit challenging Ten Commandments law
The ACLU of Louisiana’s lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a new state law that requires a display of the Ten Commandments be posted in all public school classrooms should be dismissed, the state’s attorney general argues in a federal court motion.
Louisiana relaxes its previous one-year time limit to file certain civil lawsuits
Louisiana’s longstanding one-year statute of limitations on many kinds of civil litigation, including civil rights cases against law enforcement officers, has been relaxed this year due to actions taken by the state Legislature.
6 news outlets sue Louisiana over new law allowing police officers to stop people from approaching them
Six news organizations are suing to block the enforcement of a new Louisiana law they say will interfere with journalists’ ability to do their jobs, arguing that the law improperly gives police officers the power to limit people from approaching them.