Hollywood Caused Earthquakes and Oil Companies Caused Hurricane Katrina

Broken lives or broken Courts

Can you believe a frivolous class action lawsuit was Filed shortly after the storm struck in 2005 by a group of Mississippi residents victimized by Hurricane Katrina? This suit places blame on oil companies, stating they caused it. The fact that this lawsuit made it through some tough legal obstacles and might see a hearing this summer is yet another hole in our judicial system.

Bad things happen to good people, pick yourself up dust off your seat and get back at it, that’s life. It is preposterous to lay blame on anything or anyone other than nature. To quote the vulture from Ice Age 2 “Look around, you live in a bowl, bowls fill up”. Living in the warm south has its perks but also a few little nasty things to go along with it, such as tropical storms, hurricanes, mosquitoes, High humidity and so on.

If this case is even allowed to be heard it sends a message that “No matter what happens in life, we can blame it on someone and get paid”. Hollywood you are next, Soon after this inconsequential lawsuit is heard, I’m sure the victims of earthquakes in California will be looking to sue Hollywood stars for causing the quakes. They will build a case on the grounds that stars and Promiscuous lifestyles created excessive vibrations which trigger the quakes.

As far as the hurricane case, yes, it will be easy to show the courts damage inflicted by Katrina but being able to establishing a clear cause and effect relationship between their suffering and Big Oil companies practices will be a tough fight. I would first ask those pushing this case if they mow their lawn, drive a car in and around where they live, use hair spray, grill out on summer days and the list goes on. The fact is, unless you are dead, we all harm the environment in one way or another, even passing gas contains methane.

“And building practices could be a big part of the future legal wrangling. Aside from trying to de-bunk the connection between greenhouse gases, climate change and deadly hurricanes, industry lawyers are likely to point to infrastructure shortcomings and problems with the housing stock as contributing factors to the devastation in Mississippi.”
Yahoo Green News

The class action suit brought by residents from southern Mississippi, which was devastated by hurricane-force winds & driving rains, was first filed weeks after the August 2005 storm hit.

“The plaintiffs allege that defendants’ operation of energy, fossil fuels, & chemical industries in the United States caused the emission of greenhouse gasses that contributed to global warming,” say the documents seen by AFP.

According to WASHINGTON (AFP) – Victims of Hurricane Katrina are seeking to sue carbon gas-emitting multinationals for helping fuel global warming & boosting the devastating 2005 storm, legal documents showed.

The increase in global surface air & water temperatures “in turn caused a rise in sea levels & added to the ferocity of Hurricane Katrina, which combined to damage the plaintiffs’ private property, as well as public property useful to them.”

Over 1,200 people died in Hurricane Katrina, which lashed the area, swamping New Orleans in Louisiana when levees gave way under the weight of the waves.

The suit, claiming compensation & punitive damages from multinational companies including Shell, Exxon Mobile, BP & Chevron, has already passed several key legal hurdles, after initially being knocked back by the lowest court.

One federal appeals court judges decided in October 2009 that the case could be heard. But in February the same court decided to re-examine whether it could be heard this time with nine judges. (Waste of time & money) 9 judges tied up for this?

Other companies named in the suit include Honeywell & American Electric Power, with the residents charging that “the defendants’ greenhouse gas emissions caused saltwater, debris, sediment, dangerous substances, & other materials to enter, remain on, & damage plaintiffs’ property.”

They allege that companies had a duty to “avoid unreasonably endangering the environment, public health, public & private property.”

The district court, which initially rejected the case, ruled that it was “a debate which basically has no place in the court.”

Mississippi residents must now wait for the appeals court to fix a new hearing, in principle within the next few months.

A decision would then be due by the finish of 2010, & both sides could also then take the case to the Supreme Court.

The court argued that Congress first had to enact legislation “which sets appropriate standards by which this court can measure conduct.”

Conclusion:

If this case, Hurricane Katrina victims vs. Big Oil companies, is heard here is a possible List of upcoming cases that will surely follow.

Earthquake victims vs. Hollywood insiders – over vibrations caused quakes
Tornado victim vs. Neighbor – because his house wasn’t tall enough to shield the victims house from the wind
Driver vs. Automaker – Driver claims car should have known I really wanted to turn left when I turned right into the oncoming car