A Little Good News: 11 Louisiana Parish Lawsuits Dismissed

The Times-Picayune reports reports that the 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s dismissal of lawsuits filed by 11 Louisiana parishes based on state law, ruling that the claims against BP were preempted by federal law.

“In dismissing the claims,” T-P coverage continued, “the court notes that the spill originated in federal waters, stating that ‘federal law, the law of the point source, exclusively applies to the claims generated by the oil spill in any affected state or locality.'”

“BP and Transocean, BP’s drilling contractor, are expected to pay well in excess of $50 billion in criminal and civil penalties, private claims, and environmental damage mitigation programs.”