A landmark verdict holding the oil industry responsible for Louisiana coastal damage was more than a decade in the making. It may only be the beginning of a much bigger fight.
After a month-long trial in Plaquemines Parish that ended earlier this month, a jury found Chevron liable for $745 million in damages, which, by law, must be used to restore coastal wetlands. The company immediately promised to appeal, a stance that Chevron has emphasized in the days since the trial ended.
Perhaps more important than the outcome of this case, however, is the fact that it sets a precedent for the 40 other lawsuits that attorney John Carmouche has filed on behalf of coastal parishes, all seeking damages from oil companies to restore areas along Louisiana’s eroding coastline…