On June 27, 2011, the United States Supreme Court in Philip Morris v. Jackson, 10-735, denied a request from Big Tobacco to overturn a 2004 Louisiana judgment totaling $270 million to fund a ten-year smoking cessation program that will include medications, telephone quit lines, health intervention systems, and intensive cessation…
Given the inherently dangerous nature of gas, gas companies are required to exercise the utmost care to reduce hazards to life as far as is practicable. A gas company is under a duty to safeguard against occurrences that can be reasonably expected or contemplated. When an accident or occurrence can…
It is well settled that gas is an inherently dangerous instrumentality because of its highly flammable and explosive character. Those who handle and distribute it are charged with the duty to exercise that degree of care commensurate with its dangerous character and necessary to protect the public from any foreseeable…
The dangerous nature and hazardous character of gas has been recognized and provision has been made for the regulation of its use in the interest of public safety. Moreover, our law recognizes the greater and higher than ordinary degree of care demanded of those involved in the manufacture, preparation and…
Starting June 1, 2011, the Louisiana State Police headquarters in Baton Rouge will no longer accept mail-in or walk-in requests for automobile accident reports. The Uniform Motor Vehicle Traffic Crash Reports will only be available on-line at the Louisiana State Police website. Each accident report will cost $11.50. If you…
Baton Rouge, Louisiana motorcycle accident lawyer, Scott Andrews, urges motorcycle riders to take a Louisiana State Police Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Course. The Louisiana State Police offers both a Basic Motorcycle Rider Course for inexperienced motorcycle operators and an Advanced Rider Course. After the third fatal motorcycle crash in less…
On May 20, 2011 MOEX USA and BP reached an agreement on a $1.06 billion payment for MOEX’s involvement in the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico which led to the devastating oil spill. MOEX continues, however, to deny liability for the accident. The parties…
Three St. Francisville, Louisiana residents were arrested by the Insurance Fraud – Auto Theft Unit of the Louisiana State Police as a result of a complaint made by the Government Employees’ Insurance Company (GEICO). According to the investigation, a GEICO automobile liability insured backed into a vehicle belonging to Honabea…
Louisiana injury lawyer Bob Downing (retired First Circuit Court of Appeal Judge) wrote the following article for the May 2011 issue of the Baton Rouge Bar Association’s monthly publication, Around the Bar, regarding the impropriety of appealing from the denial of a motion for directed verdict: There should be no…
Louisiana Revised Statute 9:2794(D)(1)(a) requires that a physician who testifies as an expert witness in a medical malpractice case must be: “practicing medicine at the time such testimony is given or was practicing medicine at the time the claim arose.” The Louisiana Supreme Court in Johnson v. Morehouse General Hospital,…