La. Federal Court Permits Complaint Filed by Nonprofit Group to Proceed

NEW ORLEANS -- A nonprofit group has standing to sue Murphy Oil USA Inc. on behalf of residents living next to the defendants' refinery, a federal court recently ruled, opining that the defendant confuses the issue of standing with the issue of causation. Concerned Citizens Around Murphy v. Murphy Oil USA, Inc., No. 08-4986 (E.D. La.).

In the Feb. 3 opinion, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana said that the nonprofit group did not need to link specific permit violations to specific injuries, just show that an injury existed.

The underlying lawsuit was brought by …