Articles by Kevin McGill and Michael Kunzelman

Cause of Super Bowl Power Outage Remains Unclear

As the Superdome’s energy provider and stadium management try to determine what caused a 34-minute power outage at Super Bowl in New Orleans, local officials are hoping the incident won’t leave a black eye on the city or prevent the …

Ex-New Orleans Mayor Nagin Charged With Bribery

More than a decade ago, Ray Nagin was elected mayor of New Orleans on a vow to root out corruption in a city plagued by decades of it. On Jan. 18, the former mayor was indicted on charges he lined …

BP Oil Spill Settlement Payments Exceed $1B Mark

Businesses and individuals who claim BP’s oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico cost them money have been paid more than $1 billion through the company’s class action settlement with a team of private plaintiffs’ attorneys, court-supervised claims administrator Patrick …

BP: Many Settlement Opt-Out Requests Weren’t Valid

Only about half the businesses and individuals who asked to be excluded from a proposed settlement over BP’s 2010 oil spill submitted valid requests, the company and a team of plaintiffs’ attorneys said in a court filing. A maximum of …

Judge Urged to Approve Chinese Drywall Settlements

Attorneys for thousands of Gulf Coast property owners urged a federal judge in New Orleans to give his final approval to a proposed class-action settlement that calls for a Chinese drywall manufacturer to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to …

Deals in Louisiana Resolve ‘Who Dat?’ Trademark Claims

Settlements have resolved a Louisiana recording company’s claims against two T-shirt vendors and a restaurant over merchandising rights to the phrase “Who Dat?” — a popular chant of New Orleans Saints fans. The deals eliminate the need for a federal …

Court Reverses Landmark Katrina Ruling on Army Corps Liability

A federal appeals court reversed itself recently, throwing out a judge’s landmark ruling that the Army Corps of Engineers was liable for billions of dollars in Hurricane Katrina flood damage that property owners blame on the corps’ maintenance of a …

Court Reverses Landmark Katrina Ruling on Army Corps Liability

A federal appeals court reversed itself this week and threw out a judge’s landmark ruling that the Army Corps of Engineers was liable for billions of dollars in Hurricane Katrina flood damage that property owners blame on the corps’ maintenance …

Judge Hears Case Over Katrina Floodwall Failure

Alvin Livers lost his dream home when busted floodwalls unleashed a torrent of water that inundated his New Orleans neighborhood during Hurricane Katrina. Seven years later, Livers is one of several homeowners seeking to hold the Army Corps of Engineers …

Thousands Evacuated as Isaac Floods Outside New Orleans

Isaac continued to pour unrelenting rain on Aug. 30, flooding areas north and south of New Orleans even as the city’s fortified defenses held and forcing officials to launch speedy evacuation and rescue efforts in the face of fast-rising waters. …