Articles by Kevin McGill

Louisiana High Court Reopens Window for Adult Victims of Childhood Sex Abuse to Sue

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Officially reversing a controversial March ruling, Louisiana’s highest court Wednesday gave childhood victims of sexual abuse a renewed opportunity to file damage lawsuits. The state Supreme Court’s 5-2 ruling Wednesday upholds a so-called look-back law that …

Study Finds Higher Levels of Dangerous Chemical Than Expected in SE Louisiana

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Researchers using high-tech air monitoring equipment rolled through an industrialized stretch of southeast Louisiana in mobile labs and found levels of a carcinogen in concentrations as much as 20 times higher than previously estimated, according to …

Southwest Airlines in Court Over Firing of Flight Attendant With Anti-Abortion Views

Whether a flight attendant was fired for her religious beliefs or for improper conduct when she sent graphic anti-abortion material and disparaging messages to a union leader was at the heart of appeals court arguments Monday, as Southwest Airlines and …

Teen Awarded $185K in Lawsuit Over Interference With Recording of Mother’s Arrest

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A teenager who video-recorded his mother’s forceful arrest by Louisiana sheriff’s deputies in 2020 has been awarded $185,000 by a federal jury in a lawsuit filed over one deputy’s attempt to interfere with the recording. De’Shaun …

Louisiana Court May Reopen Window for Suits by Adult Victims of Child Sex Abuse

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Louisiana’s Supreme Court agreed Friday to reconsider its recent ruling that wiped out a state law giving adult victims of childhood sexual abuse a renewed opportunity to file damage lawsuits. The law was passed by the …

Storms Bring Floods and Damaging Wind Across the South

SLIDELL, La. (AP) — Severe storms blamed for a death in Mississippi spawned a tornado that demolished buildings in one Louisiana city Wednesday while inundating streets in low-lying New Orleans with hours of steady rain that snarled traffic and strained …

Survivors of Sex Abuse Ask Louisiana High Court to Open Window to Sue

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Advocates for adult victims of childhood sexual abuse say they will ask Louisiana’s Supreme Court to reconsider a ruling that wiped out 2021 legislation giving them a renewed opportunity to file civil damage lawsuits over their …

5th Circuit Largely Sides With Louisiana Sheriff`s Deputies Accused in Lawsuit of Using Excessive Force

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – A federal appeals court has largely sided with two white Louisiana sheriff`s deputies in a lawsuit filed by a Black woman, rejecting her claims that they used excessive force against her as they investigated an allegation …

Gulf of Mexico Oil and Gas Lease Sale Postponed Amid Legal Battles Over Endangered Whale Protections

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – An upcoming sale of federal Gulf of Mexico oil and gas leases was officially postponed last week amid legal fights over protections for an endangered species of whale. A federal appellate panel last week paused a …

Saltwater Intrusion Threatens Drinking Water in Louisiana

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – The heating element removed from Monique Plaisance`s water heater in September was disintegrating, streaked with rust and covered in a dry crust. She blamed the corrosion on the water piped in from the area`s longtime drinking …