An explosion occurred from a chemical fire at a Multi-Chem Corp. chemical plant in New Iberia last week, causing neighboring residents to evacuate their homes. Police reported no injuries from the explosion or its aftermath. The explosion occurred in a facility that blends chemicals for oil field operations. The accident…
Articles Posted by Broussard, David & Moroux
Louisiana Distracted Drivers Aided by Lawmakers
Distracted driving remains a serious problem across America. Nonetheless, the Louisiana Legislature killed two bills targeting distracted driving in the state and approved a controversial bill permitting TV screens in the dashboard. Pending Governor Jindal’s approval, the controversial “Dashboard TV” bill will become Louisiana law. Under Louisiana’s current law, television…
Vaccine and Autism: High Court speaks
In Bruesewitz v. Wyeth, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act preempts all state law design-defect claims brought by plaintiffs seeking damages for vaccine-related injury or death against vaccine manufacturers. The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 is a statute that provides administrative remedies…
Louisiana Legislature Kills Bully Bill
The Louisiana House of Representatives blocked House Bill 112, a bill purporting to provide a definition of “bullying” among school students. This bill sought to define prohibited acts under Louisiana’s current anti-bullying law. The bill stated that a bullying gesture must be motivated by “an actual or perceived characteristic, such…
Louisiana Employee Discrimination
A daunting question in employment discrimination litigation is whether Title VII’s anti-retaliation protection may apply to third party employees. In Thompson v. North American Stainless Steel, the Supreme Court addressed this very issue, holding that Title VII’s ban on workplace retaliation protects co-workers of discriminated employees under certain circumstances. Under…
Gulf Oil Spill: BP seeking dismissal of economic loss claims
After more than a year of accepting claims, BP has asked a federal judge to dismiss several economic claims . Several of these claims were brought by commercial fisherman, tourism-driven businesses, property owners and offshore workers. BP argues that the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA) is the only theory…
New Orleans Train Crash
In April, three train accidents occurred within a 24-hour period in Louisiana. The first collision occurred in Jefferson Parish, when a driver, attempting to beat an oncoming Amtrak passenger train, collided with the train. Tragically, the driver was killed in the accident. The second collision involved another Amtrak train that…
Louisiana’s Dangerous Drivers Targeted
The Louisiana Legislature’s 2011 Regular Session convened on April 25. In the midst of this fiscal session, the Legislature introduced three new state-wide bills relative to distracted driving, including a potential ban on the use of handheld cell phones in automobiles. Last session, Governor Jindal signed into a law a…
Wal-Mart Law Suit Update
The Supreme Court recently heard Wal-Mart v. Dukes, the largest class action lawsuit in American history. Over 1.5 million female Wal-Mart employees filed a systemic class-action sex discrimination lawsuit against Wal-Mart, alleging that they were part of a system of discrimination where they received lower wages than their male counterparts…
Deepwater Horizon Update: Blowout Preventer Malfunction Discovered
The U.S. Department of Interior recently released a report showing the results of a federal investigation of the Deepwater Horizon blowout preventer (BOP). The Department of Interior hired a team of forensic experts to salvage the BOP from the gulf floor and to study the cause of its malfunction. According…