BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Attorney General Buddy Caldwell acted within his authority when he approved the hiring of outside legal help in a lawsuit filed by the Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East against almost 100 oil and gas companies for alleged damage to coastal wetlands.
State District Judge Janice Clark issued the ruling on Monday in Baton Rouge, The Advocate reported (https://bit.ly/1kI0Hub).
A lawsuit filed in December 2013 by the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association alleged the levee authority is a state agency that operates under the state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority.
The lawsuit argued the levee board did not have the authority to hire outside counsel and instead should be represented by the attorney general.
Clark’s ruling signaled the court recognizes the levee board as a political subdivision like a parish and has the authority to hire outside attorneys, said Lori Mince, who represented the levee board.
In a statement, the oil and gas association said is strongly disagree with Clark’s ruling and plans to file an appeal.
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Information from: The Advocate, https://theadvocate.com
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