Barbier
U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier signed pretrial order Nov. 16, finalizing deposition guidelines for the BP MDL in the Eastern District of Louisiana.
It states that depositions are to begin on Jan. 18, 2011 and orders liaison counsel for both parties to set aside 15 working days every month in the new year for depositions, with conferences held regularly to schedule the depositions.
Barbier's order mostly grants defense and plaintiff counsel the responsibility to meet and set dates and locations for the depositions. Depositions are ordered to commence at 8:30 a.m. and must end after eight hours. Scheduled depositions may only be postponed more than three days before the original date.
The order also states that any disputes between plaintiff and defense parties should be addressed to the Eastern District of Louisiana "rather than the District Court in the district in which the deposition is being conducted."
The order was signed three days before the next scheduled hearing in Barbier's courtroom on Nov. 19.
Federal MDL 2:10-md-02179-CJB-SS