Louisiana Court Denies Defense Efforts to Obtain More Definite Statement in Benzene Case

NEW ORLEANS –– A Louisiana federal court has refused to order a benzene plaintiff to provide a more definite statement, saying that such efforts are disfavored when the information sought is within the defendant’s own knowledge.

In a March 16 order, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana said that the Shell defendants could search its own records to confirm the plaintiff’s allegation that he worked at one of the defendant’s facilities.

Plaintiff John Binder said in his complaint that he worked as a contract tank cleaner for Rollins Environmental, Inc. at the Shell facilities. While …