Legacy Litigation Attorney
Get Site Protection For Landowners & Timber Managers
Our experienced legacy litigation team will fight for your land or oilfield pollution case.
Legal Representation For Legacy Litigation Cases
Legacy Litigation refers to lawsuits brought by landowners for environmental damages caused by historic oil and gas operations.
Soil and groundwater contamination, though often unseen, can turn farmable land into barren dirt, kill or injure wildlife through contact and consumption, and even cause illness and disease to humans by polluting drinking water. Recognizing signs of possible environmental damage can help landowners protect water, air and wildlife, while preserving the land’s economic value.
Our team can help identify viable cases and develop a winning strategy.
Common Dangers For Landowners
- Abandoned equipment (tanks, wells, and pipes)
- Soil/groundwater contamination around equipment
- Unlined earthen “pits” that contain production wastes
The Impact of Pits
In many cases, pits are backfilled, and the contaminants are simply hidden just beneath the soil. What may look like an overgrown pond, may in fact be a pool of contamination that endangers wildlife and vegetation. Some contaminants associated with oil field waste pits include:
- Heavy Metals like Arsenic and Strontium
- Petroleum Hydrocarbons like TPH-D and TPH-O
- Radionuclides and Chlorides
Protecting Your Rights
Lawsuits for environmental damages are time sensitive. If you have reason to suspect that your property is contaminated by historic oil and gas operations, contact us to learn what rights you have and what time limits apply.
Landowner Rights
Under the Act and its recent amendments, courts overseeing legacy lawsuits will:
- Adopt a plan to clean-up the property.
- Order the oil companies who are responsible for the environmental damage to deposit money with the court.
- Ensure that the money is used to clean-up the property according to the plan.
- Order the responsible parties to reimburse landowners for litigation expenses
Landowners Have the Right to Demand Clean-Up:
- Louisiana enacted Act 312 in 2006, which applies to private lawsuits for damages related to exploration and production activity.
- Sets out a procedure to ensure that contaminated property is cleaned up by the responsible parties.
- Louisiana landowners fought hard in the 2012 and 2014 legislative sessions to keep this Act from being watered down or washed out completely.
Before Clean Up
After Clean Up
Choosing Talbot, Carmouche, & Marcello
Above all else, we’re a compassionate, caring, and skilled firm. Our team is recognized for its outstanding legal work, having represented clients in several prominent cases. Over the course of several decades, we’ve won over 3 billion dollars in verdicts and settlements. From initial consultation to final verdict — and appeals if necessary — our team of local attorneys works tirelessly for your case.
Schedule Your Free Legacy Litigation Consultation
Contact the law offices of Talbot, Carmouche & Marcello to schedule your free initial consultation. There is no obligation with this meeting, and we will help guide you in the right direction.
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