Plaintiff Not Required to Include Insurance Policy Numbers in Complaint, Court Says

NEW ORLEANS –– A plaintiff in a Louisiana benzene case will not be required to file a more definite statement of his second amended complaint, despite efforts by an insurer defendant to obtain numbers on policies issued during the time of the alleged exposure, a federal court has ruled. Authenment v. Ingram Barge Co., et al., No. 10-2107 (E.D. La.).

On July 9, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana opined that the defendant could file a responsive pleading, even without the specific policy numbers.

Edward F. Authenment III filed the complaint, contending that his work as …