Michael B. Alker
NEW ORLEANS - AT&T is suing an Orleans Parish limited liability company for allegedly damaging underground cables belonging to AT&T.
Bellsouth Telecommunications, LLC, commonly known as, AT&T Louisiana, filed a lawsuit against Woodward Design and Build LLC in the Orleans Parish Central District Court on Sept. 6. The plaintiff alleges that the defendant's excavation work in connection with the construction work of a new parking garage in Algiers caused damage to underground cables and associated equipment belonging to AT&T. AT&T claims that as a result of that damage customers serviced by the damaged cables loss use of cable and vital communication services.
The defendant is accused of violating The Louisiana Underground Utilities and Facilities Damage Prevention Law by failing to contact the regional notification center in advance of the construction project, failing to see what they should have seen, failing to know what they should have known, failing to identify the location of utilities in the area of the construction project and failing to plan the excavation so that AT&T's facilities would not be damaged.
AT&T seeks just and adequate compensation for damages as well as attorney's fees and court costs.
The plaintiff is represented by Michael B. Alker of Sutton, Alker & Rather, LLC.
This case has been assigned to Division N Judge Ethel S. Julien.
Case no. 2012-08567.