Lawyers for Plaquemines Parish are set to argue that a lawsuit the parish filed against oil companies over coastal damage belongs in state court.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Lawyers for Plaquemines Parish are set to argue that a lawsuit the parish filed against oil companies over coastal damage belongs in state court.
The arguments are set for Wednesday morning in U.S. District Court in New Orleans. The judge's decision will likely indicate whether a series of such lawsuits filed by Plaquemines and Jefferson parishes will be tried in state court or federal court.
Originally filed in state courts, the suits allege a variety of environmental law violations, including operating unpermitted waste pits and the dredging of canals without proper permits and without using techniques to prevent erosion and encroachment of salt water from the Gulf of Mexico.
The parishes want the cases tried in state district courts.
The oil companies argue the federal court has jurisdiction.