News from 2015
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.
Handicapped man accuses Housing Authority of violating disabilities law
NEW ORLEANS – An Orleans Parish man, wheelchair-bound with spinal injuries, says the Housing Authority of Jefferson Parish refused to reschedule a deadline, denying him Section 8 housing.
Texas man accused of causing fatal car crash
NEW ORLEANS – A St. Charles Parish woman says a driver who ran a red light and made a U-turn caused a collision, injuring her son and killing his father.
Former DeSoto DA suspended from law after felony tax fraud charges, faces disbarment
After pleading guilty to a federal felony charge for filing a fraudulent tax return, former DeSoto District Attorney Richard Johnson was suspended from practicing law by the Louisiana Supreme Court on Friday, an order that precedes further disciplinary proceedings that may result in permanent disbarment.
Employee sues state departments for racial and age discrimination
NEW ORLEANS – A long-time worker in the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals says she was demoted in retaliation for filing an EEOC complaint against the department.
Lawson Environmental Services accuses business partner of contract breach
NEW ORLEANS – A Terrebonne Parish environmental company says its business partner broke an agreement to help it complete an Environmental Protection Agency contract.
Hydratight seeks to move injury lawsuit to federal court
NEW ORLEANS – Hydratight Operations, a St. John the Baptist Parish company being sued for damages by an Oklahoma worker, has filed a petition to move the case to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
Black renters kept from leasing Dorian Apartments, investigators claim
NEW ORLEANS – A civil rights group says the Dorian Apartments is violating the Fair Housing Act by discouraging black renters from leasing its apartments.
Makers of anti-stroke drug face product liability suit
NEW ORLEANS – A Louisiana couple is suing Johnson & Johnson for marketing an allegedly unsafe drug designed to prevent strokes.
Hip replacement patient accuses Johnson & Johnson of faulty hardware
NEW ORLEANS – A Louisiana man says Johnson & Johnson, makers of the Pinnacle hip implant, and his surgeons are liable for alleged injuries he sustained from the device.
Navy serviceman claims asbestos exposure caused mesothelioma
NEW ORLEANS – A former U.S. Navy serviceman says he contracted mesothelioma from exposure to asbestos during his eight years of service.
Xarelto suit accuses Janssen R&D of negligence, wrongful death
NEW ORLEANS – The plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit say the makers of Xarelto knowing sold the product with inadequate testing and warnings.
Homeless group accuses city of New Orleans of wrongful imprisonment
NEW ORLEANS – A group of indigent men and women are suing the city of New Orleans and several judges and court officials over what they say is an illegal scheme to incarcerate the homeless.
Fisheries accuse Halliburton of negligence in the 2010 BP oil spill
NEW ORLEANS – The plaintiffs in a class action suit related to the 2010 BP oil spill are suing Halliburton for an alleged faulty well design that allowed oil to damage fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico.
Man claims Thibodaux restaurant restricts accessibility to the disabled
NEW ORLEANS – The owners of a seafood restaurant in Thibodaux is being sued by a man with spina bifida who claims the eatery restricts accessibility to the disabled.
Underwriters sue Atlantic Speciality Insurance Co. over coverage issues with boat crashes
NEW ORLEANS – An overseas insurance company is suing a Hammond-based insurance company over which entity should bear more financial responsibility in connection with a tug boat they both insured, which was involved in a crash.
Parents of deceased teenager accuse sheriff’s deputies of wrongful death
NEW ORLEANS – The parents of several teenagers say two Terrebonne Parish sheriff’s deputies used excessive force on their sons, killing one via a gunshot wound.
Phelps Dunbar sues West Virginia gubernatorial candidate's company seeking $400K in unpaid legal fees
NEW ORLEANS – Another in a string of lawsuits has been filed against one of West Virginia Democratic
gubernatorial candidate Jim Justice’s companies for allegedly failing to pay more
than $400,000 in legal fees.
Ad agency accuses Jefferson Parish, councilman of retaliation
NEW ORLEANS – The owner of a Metairie public relations firm says a councilman punished him for producing a rival’s campaign ads.
Alleged dangerous side effects prompt lawsuit against maker of Xarelto
NEW ORLEANS – A New Jersey man says pharma giant Janssen Research sold anti-stroke drug Xarelto without warning the public of its dangerous potential side effects.