Deepwater MDL Judge Appoints Duke Law Professor as Special Master

NEW ORLEANS - The judge presiding over the Deepwater Horizon multidistrict litigation has appointed Duke University law professor Francis E. McGovern as the court's special master in the MDL proceedings. In re: Oil Spill by the Oil Rig "Deepwater Horizon" in the Gulf of Mexico, on April 20, 2010, MDL No. 2179 (E.D. La.).

Judge Carl J. Barbier of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana announced McGovern's appointment on Oct. 7, saying the professor is "uniquely qualified" to coordinate the MDL proceedings with state court matters and issues arising in the Gulf Coast Claims Facility and …