A class action lawsuit has been filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana (10-cv-01229) by Louisiana shrimpers and fishermen whose industry and livelihoods are being devastated by the growing environmental disaster caused by the explosion aboard Deepwater Horizon and the resulting oil spill caused by its sinking,. The suit, filed by attorneys including Attorney Richard J. Arsenault, founding partner of Louisiana’s Neblett, Beard & Arsenault; seeks damages against Transocean, British Petroleum and other companies that assisted in the operation of the semi-submersible drilling rig.
“Just as the Gulf coast was rebounding from the devastating effects of Katrina, we now face one the most serious environmental disasters of our time. Sadly, millions of gallons of oil continue to flow into the Gulf of Mexico,” said Attorneys Richard J. Arsenault, “If the estimate of 5,000 barrels per day is accurate, this environmental catastrophe could eclipse that of the Exxon Valdez.”
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Louisiana residents including those who work in and derive income from the Louisiana “Coastal Zone.” These individuals have already sustained and will continue to sustain significant losses and/or damages as a result millions of gallons of oil damaging the Gulf’s marine and coastal ecosystems, estuaries and fragile wetlands.
“While we’re still in the embryonic stages of quantifying the troubling environmental impact, we’re watching, in real time, and somewhat helplessly, a slow motion disaster,” concluded Arsenault.
Click here to read a copy of the lawsuit.
Richard J. Arsenault, 2011
