Plaintiffs Say Texas Courts Have Personal Jurisdiction over Trustee Defendant

NEW ORLEANS -- Plaintiffs in a Louisiana benzene case have opposed a motion to dismiss, maintaining that the defendant's contacts with the state of Louisiana are sufficient to justify jurisdiction. Washington, et al. v. Baker Petrolite Corp., et al., No. 09-7926 (E.D. La.).

On May 11 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, the plaintiffs opposed the motion to dismiss, arguing that El Paso Energy E.S.T. Co., is "clearly wrong," and, as such, the motion should be denied.

According to the plaintiffs, El Paso is the trustee of the successor of Tenneco Oil Co., which …