Cannizzaro
New Orleans District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro Jr. has filed suit against BP in Orleans Parish Civil District Court claiming damages over wildlife killed as a result of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
Cannizzaro's office filed the suit July 14. It states, "(this) is a claim solely for civil penalties for harm to wildlife brought by the District Attorney for the Parish of Orleans on behalf of the State of Louisiana..."
The suit cites a statute that holds liable anyone who unlawfully, among other things, injures wildlife.
The city has retained the services of New Orleans firms, Cossich, Sumich, Parsiola & Taylor; Herman, Herman, Katz, and Cotlar; and Landry & Swarr LLC.
Named defendants in the suit are BP Exploration & Production Inc., BP Products North America Inc. and BP America Inc.
The BP-owned Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded on April 20, 2010, killing 11 crewmen and causing a ruptured pipeline to spew oil into the Gulf of Mexico. On July 7, oil was found in Lake Pontchartrain, which borders New Orleans to the north.
The suit does not name a specific amount of wildlife or where in Orleans Parish BP allegedly killed wildlife.
Judge Michael Bagneris has been assigned to this case.
Orleans Parish Case 2010-07258