After years of legal wrangling, the Supreme Court is set to consider on Monday whether lawsuits that seek to hold oil majors financially accountable for Louisiana’s eroding coastline can be moved out of the Bayou State’s courthouses.
The high court’s answer in the case will play an important role in deciding the fate of a set of lawsuits that could put Chevron USA and other companies on the hook for billions of dollars in damages.
Chevron v. Plaquemines Parish could also have important implications for how readily private parties can — as Chevron has sought to do — move lawsuits against them to federal court, delaying proceedings and securing venues they see as more favorable to their arguments.
Monday’s Supreme Court argument will focus on the federal officer removal statute, which allows private entities to claim that because they were acting under the direction of the federal government, lawsuits against their activity belong in federal court.
