NEW ORLEANS–A federal judge has cleared the way for a trial of the largest-ever litigation involving the U.S. government by denying the Justice Department’s last-ditch attempt to dismiss a damages lawsuit brought by victims of Hurricane Katrin
NEW ORLEANS–A federal judge has cleared the way for a trial of the largest-ever litigation involving the U.S. government by denying the Justice Department’s last-ditch attempt to dismiss a damages lawsuit brought by victims of Hurricane Katrina.
The decision by U.S. District Court Judge Stanwood J. Duval Jr. means Katrina victims seeking compensation from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the flooding and destruction of their homes will finally get their day in court.
“We are pleased to have overcome this final hurdle to securing the first trial for Katrina victims and to holding the Army Corps accountable,” said Pierce O’Donnell, the plaintiffs’ lead trial counsel in the nearly three-years-old case. “Battling the federal government with its own army of lawyers and unlimited resources has been a daunting ordeal.”
The historic trial on behalf of six plaintiffs whose homes and businesses in New Orleans and St. Bernard Parish were totally destroyed in 2005 is scheduled to begin on April 20 before Judge Duval. The plaintiffs claim the Corps of Engineers should be held liable for failed levees in 50 locations that caused catastrophic flooding and devastated a 100-square-mile metropolitan area.
Expected to last about three weeks, the nonjury trial will feature testimony from high-ranking Army Corps officials and some of the world’s most renowned experts on coastal flood protection.
“Justice for Katrina victims is long overdue and now in sight,” said Joseph Bruno of New Orleans, the Plaintiffs’ Liaison Counsel. “A favorable ruling in our test case will pave the way for more than 400,000 other deserving victims to recover damages.”
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