La. AG claims judge is ignoring state's BP claims
La. attorney general accuses federal judge of ignoring state's claims over BP oil spill
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Louisiana Attorney General James "Buddy" Caldwell has accused a federal judge of ignoring the state's claims over BP's 2010 Gulf oil spill and asked an appeals court to intervene.
In a court filing this week, Caldwell's office asked the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to transfer its spill-related claims from U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier to a different judge in the Eastern District of Louisiana.
Barbier oversees most of the federal litigation spawned by the nation's worst offshore oil spill and presided over two phases of a trial for claims against BP and its contractors.
Caldwell's court filing on Tuesday says Louisiana "can no longer endure the injustices" caused by Barbier's "flawed" trial plan and deserves to proceed with a trial for the state's economic loss claims.
