Louisiana Asks for Separate MDL Track for Government Cases

NEW ORLEANS - Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell has asked the federal judge presiding over the Deepwater Horizon multidistrict litigation to establish a separate case track to address the "unique interests" of governmental plaintiffs. 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.).

Caldwell acknowledged in his motion for a hearing on the issue that he has held discussions with plaintiffs' liaison co-counsel, but he said the discussions have not resolved the state's concerns over fee-sharing and other issues.

The attorney general noted that the …