Magistrate Allows Citgo Access to Natural Resource Damage Documents

LAKE CHARLES, La. - A federal magistrate judge has ordered Louisiana and federal environmental officials to provide Citgo Petroleum Corp. with correspondence and other documents relating to their assessments of natural resources damages from a 2006 refinery spill. United States of America, et al. v. Citgo Petroleum Corp., No. 2:08-Ccv-00893 (W.D. La.).

A U.S. magistrate judge granted Citgo's motion to compel in part on April 30, saying that while the parties are negotiating a separate Natural Resources Damage Assessment, the documents sought by Citgo are relevant and likely to lead to admissible evidence in this parallel Clean Water Act litigation.