Louisiana Insurance Litigation Blog
Hundreds of local residence, fishermen, and workers have embarked on cleaning up the mounds of putrid rotting fish resulting from the discharge of the “black liquor” chemical by-product from the Temple Inland paper mill. Around 450 people in 165 boats deploy early in the morning while St. Tammany Sheriff’s deputies provide monitoring and security as the cleanup workers remove and catalogue the rancid fish. Thornhill Law Firm has filed a joint suit with the State of Louisiana and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries against Temple Inland which “killed, caught, taken possessed or injured fish, wild birds, and other wildlife and aquatic live in violation of state law.” The second class action petition filed through Thornhill Law Firm, on behalf of Terral Evans, Dana Evans, Charles Blanchard and Shannon Williams seeks relief for residents, fisherman, and recreationalist who have “sustained physical, mental and/or emotional injuries, fright, inconvenience, personal and medical expenses and interruption of or intrusion into their person and/or professional lives.”
The black liquor plume has now pushed through to the Rigolets and has been reported affecting crab fisherman as far south as Alligator Point. If you have information or a claim, contact us at (985)641-5010 or toll free 800-989-2707.
St. Tammany News. “River discharge lawsuits begin”
http://www.thesttammanynews.com/articles/2011/08/23/news/doc4e4fc07764b62367366058.txt