H&N Environmental Class Action heard by Louisiana Court of Appeal for the 4th Circuit

On February 2, 2012, the Louisiana 4th Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments regarding the Class Action Trial Victory obtained by Harrell & Nowak.  Last year, H&N took the defendants to trial seeking the Court to find that several corporate and insurance defendants were liable to persons who lived and worked within 1-mile of the Air Liquide Facility during the reclamation and closure projects where hundreds of thousands of cubic yards of dangerous carbide lime was allowed to dry and and be dispersed into the adjacent neighborhood.  The Trial Court ruled in favor of the class and found both the Air Liquide defendants and Global Lime defendants liable.  Each of the four class representatives were awarded money damages. 

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Harrell & Nowak files motion for Court to preliminarily approve $500,000 settlement for environmental class action

Harrell & Nowak was appointed by the Court to represent the neighborhood bordering the Air Liquide facility at 6600 Old Gentilly Road for the neighbors’ exposure to a caustic dust.   On the morning of the first day of trial, one of the Trucking Defendants and its insurers offered to settle the claims for $500,000.  today, H&N filed a motion for the Court to preliminarily approve the settlement.

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Environmental Class Action Trial Victory

 Harrell & Nowak wins class action trial for New Orleans neighborhood.

The trial lasted two weeks, and the Court ruled in favor of the neighborhood class representatives.

 

The Court awarded damages for personal injuries and incovenience

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Personal Injury Claims Filed Over Well Water Contamination

Hundreds of people who worked or served on various military bases recently brought a mass tort lawsuit against six manufacturers of firefighting foams, which were used for fire suppression and which are now believed to have contaminated local drinking water via ingredients such as perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), unregulated chemicals which are … Continued

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New CDC Report Shows Mesothelioma on the Rise

A new report released this month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that malignant mesothelioma mortality has increased in spite of widespread efforts to educate the public about the dangers of working, unprotected, in areas containing asbestos. Specifically, the number of malignant mesothelioma deaths increased for those 85 or older, decreased … Continued

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Studies Show Alarming Rise in Cancer Rates in Rural Coal Mining Areas

According to a recent study featured in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Owsley County, Kentucky had one of the highest percentage increases of cancer mortality per capita in the U.S. since 1980. Specifically, deaths increased by close to 50% there.   Additional research has supported the contention that, while the incidence of cancer … Continued

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Lead Poisoning Remains Major Threat to Children

It may shock you to learn that lead poisoning still remains the number one environmental hazard for children, who can suffer from irreversible cognitive deficit issues, as well as problems related to hearing, speech, organ damage, and even death as a result of lead accumulation in the body. In spite of national attention brought to … Continued

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BP Settlement Funds Paid to State and Claimants Transforms Louisiana

Millions of dollars paid out as part of BP’s legal settlement over the 2010 Deepwater Horizon in Louisiana has already transformed Louisiana, according to coverage in The Advertiser. In total, close to $6 billion will be paid out to the state to address the damage done by the oil spill, with an additional $10 billion … Continued

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Louisiana Takes Big Oil to Court

On August 5th, U.S. News & World Report covered the most recent movement in Louisiana to hold the oil industry responsible for the huge amount of land that has disappeared from Louisiana as a result of the oil industry’s “footprint.” According to geologists, by extracting millions of barrels of oil and gas from below the … Continued

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