Vimbai Chikomo News
Fayard’s run for Senate may be dampened by voters leery of political family
BATON ROUGE – If history is a guide, New Orleans-based attorney Caroline Fayard will have no concern when it comes to financing her political campaign; however, the battle in her run for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. David Vitter’s (R-LA) may be trying to win over skeptic voters troubled by several controversies surrounding her family’s ties and involvement in politics.
House subcommittee to hear testimony on legislation seeking to protect small businesses from ADA lawsuit abuse
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) will testify before the House
Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Constitution and Civil Justice
today in favor of a new bill he introduced earlier this year seeking to
protect small businesses from the widespread abuse of the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) by plaintiffs’ lawyers who Calvert says only “care about their own bank accounts.”
Baton Rouge judges appear before Louisiana Supreme Court to make cases against suspension
NEW ORLEANS – Two Baton Rouge 18th Judicial District judges stood before the Louisiana Supreme Court last week to address allegations of mishandling criminal cases and violating the state’s judicial code in the process.
Disbarred Baton Rouge attorney known for “E Guarantee” slogan reinstated
BATON ROUGE – A former Baton Rouge personal injury lawyer who was disbarred seven years ago has been reinstated.
Legal ramifications of the Deepwater Horizon disaster live on 6 years later
BATON ROUGE -- Wednesday, April 20, marked the six-year anniversary
of the fatal explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig and subsequent oil spill that
sent millions of gallons of oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico. Six years later, the legal and environmental ramifications live on.
Louisiana watchdog group: SB 254 is about generating lawsuits, not equal pay
BATON ROUGE -- The Louisiana Senate passed a bill that would require many private employers to compensate men and women equally for the same work. Opponents, however, argue the bill would not only contradict federal and state laws prohibiting the discrimination addressed in the proposed bill, but it would open a floodgate of lawsuits.
U.S. senators introduce bill to rename Shreveport Federal Building in honor of late judge
WASHINGTON, – U.S. Sens. Bill Cassidy and David Vitter introduced a bill last week that would rename the Shreveport Federal Building to the "Tom Stagg Federal Building and United States Courthouse" in honor of the late judge Thomas ‘Tom’ Eaton Stagg.
St. Bernard Parish Council to vote on proceeding with suit against oil industry
CHALMETTE — The St. Bernard Parish Council is expected to vote on Tuesday on whether to allow St. Bernard Parish President Guy McInnis and a controversial law firm to potentially file a lawsuit on behalf of the parish against oil and gas companies for alleged coastal damage and land loss.
St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office hopes to get whistleblower lawsuit tossed out
The St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office is hoping to get a whistleblower’s civil lawsuit six years in the making dismissed before a district judge on March 8.
Court to hear flood protection authority's appeal to revive oil company lawsuit on Feb. 29
The Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East (SLFPA-E) hopes to have a court reverse the decision by a federal judge to dismiss its lawsuit against a slew of oil companies.
Louisiana Association of Business and Industry backs FACT Act
WASHINGTON — A bill aiming to promote transparency and access to information regarding asbestos claims was recently passed in the U.S. House of Representatives and has now been handed over to the Senate.
Legal agreement may halt governor's plan to use BP oil spill money to fill $700 budget hole
BATON ROUGE—Gov. John Bel Edwards’ proposal to close a hole in this year’s budget using funds intended to replenish Louisiana’s rainy day fund conflicts with a legal agreement reached two years ago in a lawsuit between the state and plaintiffs who sued the state over the fund.
Ala. couple accused of filing fraudulent Deepwater Horizon claim can't repay $1.6 million
NEW ORLEANS – An Alabama couple is denying accusations that they defrauded the Deepwater Horizon claims program and insist they cannot repay $1.6 million awarded to them through the program because the money went to pay off a judgment against them.
Saints, Pelicans' owner settles with estranged daughter over trust fund
SAN ANTONIO – A legal dispute between Tom Benson, the owner of the NFL's New Orleans Saints and NBA's Pelicans, and his estranged daughter over who should control a family trust fund in Texas has been settled.
Inmates’ attorney says legal fee in heat case dispute is 'a distraction' from real issue
BATON ROUGE—Attorneys representing the Louisiana Department of Corrections have asked a Baton Rouge federal judge to lower the nearly $890,000 requested by the lawyers of three inmates who sued the state, claiming that the extreme heat in Louisiana State Penitentiary’s death row violated their constitutional rights.
Legal experts predict Rombach's chances of winning appeal are slim in defamation case
BATON ROUGE – After the lawyer for former Legislative Fiscal Officer John Rombach said they would challenge an appellate court's dismissal of his defamation lawsuit against the state last month, local legal experts told the Louisiana Record that Rombach's case will be tough to prove given his public stature.
Jeff Landry ready to start new chapter in AG office
BATON ROUGE – Attorney General-Elect Jeff Landry will begin his tenure as Louisiana’s attorney general on Monday morning.
Battle over Tom Benson's Saints and Pelicans shares far from over
NEW ORLEANS -- New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans owner Tom Benson received a favorable ruling in October when a judge blocked an attempt to prevent court proceedings determining whether he can swap ownership shares in trusts for promissory notes.
Attorney general-elect: 'We are going to run an honest, ethical, and hardworking office'
BATON ROUGE — Jeff Landry plans to stand by the promises he made to voters during his journey to the Louisiana Attorney General’s office.
ACLU, bookstores challenge Louisiana’s new age-verification law
NEW ORLEANS — The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), two independent bookstores in New Orleans and a publisher have teamed up to challenge a new Louisiana law designed to protect minors from inappropriate content on the Internet.