United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, 2018

In re La. Coastal Zone Land Loss Litig.

United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation · Decided July 31, 2018

317 F. Supp. 3d 1346 (Federal Supplement, Third Series)

Counsel

On the basis of the papers filed and the hearing session held, we conclude that centralization is not necessary for the convenience of the parties and witnesses or to further the just and efficient conduct of this litigation. The 41 actions broadly implicate certain common factual questions concerning the reasons why five Louisiana parishes (Plaquemines, Cameron, Jefferson, St. Bernard, and Vermilion) have been experiencing coastal land loss and other damage, and more specifically, the extent, if any, to which defendants' oil and gas exploration, production, and transportation activities in those parishes have contributed to that loss. But each action involves oil and gas operations conducted in a different "Operational Area," and is brought against a different cast of defendants. Moving defendants do not contend that the various oil and gas fields in these Operational Areas were developed at the same time or operated in the same manner. Similarly, defendants do not assert that other possible causes of land loss and damage are the *1347same from Operational Area to Operational Area. Although issues concerning federal and state regulation of the oil and gas industry and certain industry practices may be common across the actions, the nature of these cases suggests that most pretrial proceedings, particularly discovery, will be largely individualized., Aside from the preponderance of individualized issues, centralization under Section 1407 does not appear necessary. Plaintiffs and plaintiff-intervenors represent that they are amenable to Section 1404 transfer of the Western District of Louisiana cases to the Eastern District of Louisiana for possible consolidation. Even if such transfer is not administratively practicable, as defendants contend, the 41 cases are pending in two adjacent districts. Informal coordination by the involved courts and cooperative efforts by counsel thus should be feasible to avoid or minimize duplicative pretrial proceedings., IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that the motion for centralization of these actions is denied.

Opinion of the Court

SCHEDULE A

MDL No. 2856 - IN RE: LOUISIANA COASTAL ZONE LAND LOSS LITIGATION

Eastern District of Louisiana

PLAQUEMINES PARISH, ET AL. v. ROZEL OPERATING COMPANY, ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-05189

JEFFERSON PARISH, ET AL. v. DESTIN OPERATING COMPANY, INC., ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-05206

PARISH OF PLAQUEMINES, ET AL. v. HILCORP ENERGY COMPANY, ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-05210

JEFFERSON PARISH, ET AL. v. ANADARKO E&P ONSHORE, LLC, ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-05213

PLAQUEMINES PARISH, ET AL. v. EXCHANGE OIL & GAS CORPORATION, ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-05215

PLAQUEMINES PARISH v. RIVERWOOD PRODUCTION COMPANY, INC., ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-05217

PLAQUEMINES PARISH, ET AL. v. JUNE ENERGY, INC., ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-05218

PLAQUEMINES PARISH, ET AL. v. CHEVRON U.S.A., INC., ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-05220

ST. BERNARD PARISH, ET AL. v. ATLANTIC RICHFIELD COMPANY, ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-05222

JEFFERSON PARISH, ET AL. v. CHEVRON U.S.A. HOLDINGS, INC., ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-05224

PLAQUEMINES PARISH v. GREAT SOUTHERN OIL & GAS CO., INC., ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-05227

PLAQUEMINES PARISH v. NORTHCOAST OIL COMPANY, ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-05228

PLAQUEMINES, ET AL. v. CONOCOPHILLIPS COMPANY, ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-05230

PLAQUEMINES PARISH, ET AL. v. LINDER OIL COMPANY, ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-05231

PLAQUEMINES PARISH, ET AL. v. DEVON ENERGY PRODUCTION COMPANY, L.P., ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-05234

PLAQUEMINES PARISH, ET AL. v. GOODRICH PETROLEUM COMPANY, LLC, ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-05238

PLAQUEMINES PARISH v. APACHE OIL CORPORATION, ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-05240

JEFFERSON PARISH, ET AL. v. EQUITABLE PETROLEUM CORPORATION, ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-05242 *1348JEFFERSON PARISH v. ATLANTIC RICHFIELD COMPANY, ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-05246

JEFFERSON PARISH v. CANLAN OIL COMPANY, ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-05252

PLAQUEMINES PARISH v. TOTAL PETROCHEMICALS & REFINING USA, INC., ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-05256

JEFFERSON PARISH v. EXXON MOBIL CORPORATION, ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-05257

PLAQUEMINES PARISH v. BEPCO, L.P., ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-05258

PLAQUEMINES PARISH v. PALM ENERGY OFFSHORE, L.L.C., ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-05259

PLAQUEMINES PARISH v. HELIS OIL & GAS COMPANY, LLC, ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-05260

PLAQUEMINES PARISH, ET AL. v. CASKIDS OPERATING COMPANY, ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-05262

PLAQUEMINES PARISH v. HHE ENERGY COMPANY, ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-05263

PLAQUEMINES PARISH, ET AL. v. CAMPBELL ENERGY CORPORATION, ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-05264

PLAQUEMINES PARISH, ET AL. v. LLOG EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION COMPANY, LLC, ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-05265

Western District of Louisiana

CAMERON PARISH, ET AL. v. AUSTER OIL & GAS, INC., ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-00677

CAMERON PARISH, ET AL. v. BALLARD EXPLORATION CO., INC., ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-00678

CAMERON PARISH, ET AL. v. BRAMMER ENGINEERING, INC., ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-00679

CAMERON PARISH, ET AL. v. BURLINGTON RESOURCES OIL & GAS CO. LP, ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-00682

CAMERON PARISH, ET AL. v. ALPINE EXPLORATION COMPANIES, INC., ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-00684

CAMERON PARISH, ET AL. v. BAY COQUILLE, INC., ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-00685

CAMERON PARISH, ET AL. v. ATLANTIC RICHFIELD CO., ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-00686

CAMERON PARISH, ET AL. v. BP AMERICA PRODUCTION COMPANY, ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-00687

CAMERON PARISH, ET AL. v. APACHE CORP. OF DELAWARE, ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-00688

CAMERON PARISH, ET AL. v. ANADARKO E & P ONSHORE LLC, ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-00689

CAMERON PARISH, ET AL. v. BEPCO, L.P., ET AL., C.A. No. 2:18-00690

STUTES, ET AL. v. GULFPORT ENERGY CORP., ET AL., C.A. No. 6:18-00691

Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.