Louisiana Judge Orders Destruction of Exxon Memo in Radiation Exposure Case

NEW ORLEANS — A federal judge has ordered the destruction of all copies of a privileged document containing results of air sampling tests that ExxonMobil inadvertently disclosed in a radiation exposure lawsuit.

Judge Eldon E. Fallon’s July 25 directive comes after the 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in May that the document is an attorney work product created as part of contract negotiations between Exxon and a company hired to clean and store oilfield production equipment.

The federal appeals court’s May 6 decision reversed Judge Fallon’s denial of Exxon’s motion to strike the memo and prevent plaintiffs’ …