News from 2011
Transocean executives donating safety bonuses to oil spill victims
Newman Just a few days after it was revealed that Transocean executives would receive bonuses for the company's 2010 safety record, the company CEO and four others say they will donate their earnings.
Boh Bros. Construction penalized $451K in sexual harassment lawsuit
Christy A federal jury in New Orleans has awarded a former employee of Boh Bros. Construction $201,000 in a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
Oil exploration companies want stay vacated so drilling can begin
Feldman On March 15, four days before U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman would have required him to issue permits to oil and gas explorers, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and won a stay.
Wal-Mart shopper seeks more than $50,000 after tripping in parking lot
A woman is suing Wal-Mart for $50,000 in damages after she tripped over metal rods in the parking lot and fell.
CSX conductor sues after train robbery and murder
Miller A train conductor is suing his employer after an assailant entered the train, killed the engineer and robbed him.
OPSB files suit against Louisiana over property purchase
Barriere The Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) is suing the State of Louisiana and the Louisiana State University Board of Supervisors, claiming that the state did not pay full value for a campus it bought from the school board.
Transocean claims best year for safety in SEC filing
Transocean said it had its 'best year in safety' in its latest filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Delivery man sues Wal-Mart after pallet jack stops working
A delivery man is suing Wal-Mart after a loaded pallet jack stopped working and caused him to suffer a back injury when he attempted to stop the pallet from crushing him.
Seaman sues after falling off of boat
A seaman has filed a lawsuit against his employer seeking $1.5 million after he slipped off a boat and fell into the water.
Companies sued for not complying with their own safety manuals
After falling off of a stack of drill casings, a seaman has filed a lawsuit against his employer, claiming the company failed to comply with its own safety manual.
Transocean employee sues for $2.8 million
A Transocean employee has filed a lawsuit asking for more than $2.8 million after suffering an injury while carrying high pressure hoses.
Fast food CEO looking for a quick exit from 'Judicial Hellhole'
The head of a restaurant company, Andrew F. Puzder of CKE Restaurants (the parent company of Carl's Jr. and Hardee's), recently announced he's considering moving the company's headquarters from California to Texas.
Veterinary hospital sued over racial discrimination claims
Arruebarrena A Banfield veterinary hospital is being sued for committing acts of racial discrimination against one of its staff members.
Texas lawyer Coon repeatedly emerges in spotlight in BP litigation
Texas plaintiff attorney Brent Coon has once again grabbed media attention in his ongoing campaign against BP.
Missing BP laptop contained information for 13,000 claimants, report says
The Associated Press reported that a BP employee has lost a laptop containing the personal information of about 13,000 people who have filed claims as a result of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
WSJ reports death settlements in BP oil spill start at $8 million
Feinberg The Wall Street Journal issued a report stating that settlements with families of workers who were killed in the Deepwater Horizon oilrig explosion are in the $8 to $9 million range.
Reports link New Orleans attorney to ABC's 'Bachlorette'
Castoriano New Orleans attorney Ben Castoriano will be featured as a contestant on the ABC reality show "The Bachelorette," according to several online reports.
DOJ looking into manslaughter and perjury charges against BP, report says
The Associated Press reports that the Department of Justice could possibly levy charges of manslaughter and perjury against BP and other companies involved in the Deepwater Horizon oilrig explosion and subsequent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Barbier seeks mechanism to inform growing number of pro se filings in BP MDL
Barbier Noting an increasing number of pro se complaints filed in the BP oil spill multidistrict litigation (MDL), U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier has instructed liaison counsel to establish a way to inform claimants about proceedings.
Barbier allows BP to conduct further testing on failed BOP
Barbier U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier granted BP permission to conduct further forensic testing on the failed blowout preventer (BOP) that led to last year's Deepwater Horizon oilrig explosion and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.