El Paso Energy Asks Federal Court to Reconsider Ruling on Jurisdiction

NEW ORLEANS -- A benzene defendant has urged a federal court to reexamine its ruling denying a motion to dismiss asserted on personal jurisdiction grounds, arguing that as a trustee, it can't be considered a successor to the dissolved owner of a Louisiana refinery. Washington, et al. v. Baker Petrolite Corp., et al., No. 09-07926 (E.D. La.).

In its Sept. 17 motion for a new trial on the issue filed in the U. S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, defendant El Paso Energy E.S.T. also claims that just because it has submitted to jurisdiction in Louisiana in …