Appeals court refuses to transfer La. spill claims
Appeals court rejects La. attorney general's bid to transfer state's spill claims to new judge
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- A federal appeals court has rejected a bid by Louisiana Attorney General James "Buddy" Caldwell to have a new judge oversee the state's claims over BP's 2010 Gulf oil spill.
A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied Caldwell's request in a one-sentence order dated Monday.
In a Dec. 31 court filing, Caldwell's office accused U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier of ignoring the state's spill-related claims and asked for them to be transferred to a different judge in the Eastern District of Louisiana.
Barbier oversees most of the federal litigation spawned by the spill. Last year, he presided over two phases of a trial for a host of claims against BP and its contractors by the Gulf states, the federal government and businesses and residents.
