Deepwater MDL Court Clarifies States' Exemption From Plaintiffs' Deadlines

NEW ORLEANS - U.S. District Judge Carl J. Barbier has issued an order confirming an exemption for states from certain filing deadlines and other case management rules facing 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.).

Judge Barbier, who presides over the multi-district litigation arising from the Deepwater Horizon explosion in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, filed the order on Feb. 2, granting the State of Louisiana's Motion for Conformation of Non-Applicability.

Clarifying the exemptions for Louisiana and …