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Most of BSEE Accident Report Deemed Admissible in Worker Injury Case

In litigation arising from a worker injury on an offshore platform allegedly caused by the bursting of a bladder of a potable water tank, the tank manufacturer sought a preliminary order declaring the BSEE accident investigation report and all of its attachments admissible  pursuant to Federal Rule of Evidence 803(8), the hearsay exception for public records.  The U.S. District Court...

District Judge Considers Proffered Expert Testimony in Air Pollution Case Against Pennsylvania Coal-Fired Electric Generating Facility

The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania considered multiple challenges to proffered expert testimony in its cases dealing with air pollution events from a coal-fired electric generating facility in 2006 and 2007 that allegedly caused property damage and adverse health effects.  The judge determined that the plaintiffs’ environmental engineering expert could not...

Trustee Turns to Oil Shipper in Lac-Mégantic Litigation, Highlighting Emerging Trend

Earlier this year, the bankruptcy trustee for Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway filed a Complaint in the adversary proceeding in the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maine against a crude oil shipper for negligence in allegedly misclassifying the Bakken crude oil it was shipping by rail.  According to the Complaint, “Had defendants properly classified, identified and labeled...

Tenth Circuit Affirms Jury Verdict in Negligent Design Case Against Manufacturer of Truck-Mounted Drill Rig

An Oklahoma rig worker brought suit for strict product liability and negligent design against the manufacturer of a truck-mounted drill rig after suffering catastrophic injuries from becoming entwined in the rig’s auger.  On the strict product liability claim, Oklahoma law requires a plaintiff to show that a defect 1) caused the injury; 2) existed at the time it left the manufacturer’s...

Parent Company’s Liability in Tort for Injury to Worker of Subsidiary Goes to Louisiana Jury

The estate of a senior welder killed in the construction of a large winch in Houma, Louisiana brought suit for negligence against the parent company of the worker’s employer for “failing to adequately manage, supervise, and direct their subsidiary in the performance of its operations and/or implement corporate safety policies.”  The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of...

Federal District Court Says Chemical Company’s Restoration of Property to Regulatory Standards Sufficient To Avoid Damages for Release of Wastewater on Plaintiff’s Property

Following a 2011 pipeline rupture and wastewater spill, a Louisiana federal district court granted in part and denied in part a chemical company’s motion for summary judgment in a case for alleged damages.  As owner of the pipeline, the court found that under Louisiana law, the chemical company would be liable for any damages that the plaintiff’s land had incurred as a result of the...

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