News from 2010
Number of suits filed in Orleans Parish down 4 percent from '09
The total number of suits filed in Orleans Parish Civil District Court is down 4 percent from its 2009 total with two days left to file in 2010, according to a search of the court's document filing system.
Barbier officially bars BP from claiming OPA liability limits
Barbier In an order signed just before the Christmas holiday, U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier officially prohibited BP from claiming any liability limits under the Oil Pollution Act (OPA).
Plaintiff lawyers claim Feinberg is agent for defense in BP MDL
Feinberg Plaintiff lawyers in the multi-district litigation (MDL) involving the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill have filed a motion urging U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier to supervise public comments made by Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF) administrator Ken Feinberg.
BP litigation goes Hollywood: Baldwin sues Costner over centrifuges
Baldwin In the latest court action involving the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, actor Stephen Baldwin has filed a lawsuit against actor Kevin Costner over the sale of a centrifuge to BP.
Supreme Court overturns St. Bernard Katrina class certification
Murphy Property owners alleging Lafayette Insurance improperly denied Hurricane Katrina claims can't pursue a class action, the Supreme Court of Louisiana decided on Nov. 30.
Tulane registered nurse sues Health Center for race and gender
A registered nurse for the Tulane Community Health Center has filed a discrimination lawsuit against that argues he was subjected to race and gender discrimination.
Louisiana company accused of refusing to hire African-Americans
A Louisiana corporation is accused of racial discrimination in a suit filed Dec. 22 in federal court in New Orleans.
Executive sues Louisiana company after losing his job
A senior executive of a Louisiana company claims he was terminated from his position due to age discrimination and in retaliation for filing a worker's compensation claim.
Passenger suing both drivers and insurance companies over car accident
An Orleans Parish woman is suing both the drivers and their insurance company over a 2009 car accident in which she was a passenger.
Most lost real-estate records restored in Orleans Parish Clerk's office
Orleans Parish Clerk Dale Atkins announced that the amount of real estate documents lost was much less than originally believed and that most of the records have been restored.
Orleans Parish Civil Court has four-day weekend
The Orleans Parish Civil District Court is enjoying a four-day weekend in observance of the Christmas holiday, according to the court holiday schedule.
Garden District Hotel suing insurance company over malfunctioning sprinkler system
A malfunctioning sprinkler system that flooded much of the Garden District Hotel in January is the subject of a lawsuit the hotel filed in Orleans Parish Civil District Court.
Woman sues hotel after fall on stairs during tour
An Orleans Parish woman is suing the Avenue Plaza Hotel and Wyndham Vacation Ownership Inc. after she fell down stairs, alleging that the coating and/or film on the stairs posed an unreasonable risk of harm.
Man sues restaurant over alleged smoke damage caused by grease fire
Landrieu An Orleans Parish resident is suing a French Quarter restaurant after a grease fire that broke out in the restaurant allegedly caused smoke damage to the man's apartment next door.
$15.3 million verdict in St. Landry tops all civil jury decisions in Louisiana
A $15.3 million verdict in St. Landry Parish in July over a gas explosion topped all December 2010 Louisiana jury verdicts, according to the Louisiana Jury Verdict Reporter, which tracks verdicts rendered in the state.
Lafource Parish couple files Depuy hip implant suit in Orleans Parish
A Lafourche Parish man and his wife are suing the Ochsner Clinic Foundation and Mark Starring and Associates in Orleans Parish Civil District Court after the man received a Depuy Orthopedics ASR hip implant which was later recalled.
Man sues apartment complex and its employees over slip on fall on stairs
Orleans Parish resident Darryl Williams is suing his apartment complex owner and several of its employees after he slipped and fell in a stairwell on the property.
Barbier orders Transocean to produce documents on all Gulf vessels
Barbier U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier granted a U.S. Department of Justice motion ordering Transocean to submit all external audits and inspection reports from all Gulf vessels for discovery in the Gulf oil spill multi-district litigation (MDL).
Texas lawyer causes stir in BP hearing by introducing 7 million docs from previous class action
Coon Beaumont, Texas lawyer Brent Coon caused a bit of a stir during Friday's status conference for the multi-district litigation (MDL) regarding the BP oil spill when he introduced around seven million documents from a previous class action against BP.
School principal sues school board for disability discrimination
Recile A former New Orleans elementary school principal is suing his school board after it refused to give him a position to accommodate his disability following Hurricane Katrina.