Opinions
Much more work to do to improve Louisiana's civil justice system
All Louisianans pay the price when the state’s legal system is abused. We hope that more Louisianans will join us in the fight to help end lawsuit abuse and bring more fairness and balance to our civil justice system – for all of us.
Louisiana’s licensing laws are both amusing and tragic
With enough pushback, Louisiana regulatory bodies might see that occupational freedom, not overregulation, is in the people’s best interest.
Louisiana landowner challenges Open Fields Doctrine
Two words are usually enough to keep uninvited visitors off private property: “No trespassing.” But game wardens ignore the signs that mark the perimeter of Tom Manuel’s timberland in East Felicia Parish, Louisiana.
When legal system is abused - as with 'hurricane lawyers' - Louisianans pay
Lawsuit Abuse Awareness Week is observed each October by Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch and civil justice reform organizations across the U.S. to inform citizens about the costs and consequences of lawsuit abuse and encourage elected officials to bring fairness and common sense to civil justice systems.
Oil and gas defendants fighting abusive coastal suits encouraged by Fifth Circuit jurisdictional ruling
The recent decision issued by the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in favor of oil and gas defendants fighting unfounded coastal lawsuits is encouraging, as it opens the door for these cases to be heard in federal court. That’s where they should be.
Governor should protect public health by signing misleading attorney ad legislation
A television ad announces, “this is a Medical Alert.” As the FDA logo is displayed on the screen, a dire voice, suitable for a horror movie trailer, gets viewers’ attention, telling them a medication they are taking causes a lengthy list of serious health conditions and death.
Trial lawyer bills would encourage meritless litigation and divert coastal remediation funding
The long, drawn out saga of Louisiana’s coastal lawsuits continues, with bills crafted by trial lawyers that could encourage more meritless litigation and divert funding from our coast.
Biden's 'cancer alley' remark is false
The notion of industrial production creating a “Cancer Alley” in Louisiana is false.
President's view: Scorecard shows bipartisan success
For the Louisiana Legislature, and for those of us who advocate before it, 2020 was certainly a year that challenged any playbook on public policy. Not only was this one of the largest freshman classes our lawmaking body has seen, with 52 first-time legislators navigating new territory; not only did the House Speaker and Senate President for the first time in modern times forge a strong relationship that bridged a traditionally deep divide; but numerous curve-balls in the way of a novel coronavirus changed the game dramatically.
Louisiana lacks water management plan despite spending millions on studies, says state auditor
Residents face drought and saltwater intrusion without a sustainability plan
Briggs: Louisiana's coast needs solutions, not shakedowns
The scheme recently announced by private plaintiffs' attorneys, which purports to provide a framework to settle government lawsuits targeting hundreds of energy producers over alleged coastal land loss claims, perfectly illustrates what we've known for a long time: these trial lawyer-driven lawsuits are a farce that have nothing to do with saving the coast.
Courtrooms don't create a jackpot for our coast or community
For more than six years, a small group of lawyers have promised a handful of parishes a big payday by suing Louisiana’s oil and natural gas companies. Some took the bait, even though energy companies have operated lawfully here for decades, employ tens of thousands of Louisianians and contribute billions annually to state and parish economies.
Scaremongering lawyers should be disciplined
Lawyers running anti-drug commercials should be held accountable for their claims. If they can’t substantiate those claims, they should be forced to compensate the companies whose sales they’ve depressed and the drug users whose health they’ve impaired.
The sky was so blue that day
Eighteen years ago came the day that changed America forever.
Opioid regulator Joe Rannazzisi, hero or villain?
What if Big Pharma is not to blame for the opioid crisis? What if it wasn’t the big bad drug companies that created and exacerbated the problem, but the politicians and government officials pretending to be the good guys?
Is parental incompetence partly to blame for teen vaping injuries?
There’s a classic scene in an episode of the 1970s BBC comedy Fawlty Towers in which a diner complains about the bad service provided by the waiter at this quaint seaside inn in southern England.
LABI: The facts behind our acts
The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI) is Louisiana’s state chamber of commerce and manufacturing association. Since 1975, we have proudly represented employers of all sizes, industries and locations and taken bold stances time and time again to defend and promote free enterprise. That mission continues to this day.
Reaction to J&J verdict: 'Distorts public nuisance law beyond recognition'
Today’s verdict by Judge Thad Balkman that Johnson & Johnson must pay the operating costs of Oklahoma state government as penance for the opioid crisis puts manufacturers of all lawful, but politically unpopular, products at risk.
State Attorneys General should oversee opioid litigation
Do we want justice or a quick jackpot for trial attorneys? The negotiation class leads to the latter. And, more important, it’s unconstitutional and unfair. The states and their attorneys general are the parties empowered to protect the rights and welfare of their citizens.
Letter to the editor: Dangerous precedent being set by the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources
Recent developments in Terrebonne Parish should be alarming to all Louisiana citizens – especially those along the bayou whose local rights are being overstepped by overzealous trial attorneys and state government overreach.