La. Plaintiffs, Murphy Oil Spar over Workers' Compensation Applicability

NEW ORLEANS -- The plaintiffs in a Louisiana benzene case and Murphy Oil USA Inc. have exchanged several rounds of briefing on issues of expert admissibility and whether the plaintiffs' claims are barred by workers' compensation exclusivity. Bishop, et al. v. Shell Oil Co., et al., No. 07-2832 (E.D. La).

The claims pending in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Lousiana are asserted on behalf of James Bishop, whose alleged career as a pipefitter from 1973 to 1985 at various facilities in Louisiana exposed him to benzene and benzene-containing products, including gasoline, diesel and crude oil.

As …