Int’l Paper Co. Chemical Leak Class Claims Survive Challenge

International Paper Co. must face nuisance and negligence class claims over a chemical spill at one of its paper mills, the Eastern District of Louisiana ruled Nov. 4 (Bolton v. Int’l Paper Co., 2016 BL 369626, E.D. La., 16-cv-13346, 11/4/16).

The ruling kept alive nuisance and negligence claims in a would-be class action brought by landowners, but dismissed a strict liability claim as barred under Louisiana law.

Named plaintiff Jamia Bolton alleges an evaporator at the company’s Bogalusa Paper Mill ruptured in 2015, releasing a chemical known as “black liquor” into the air. He says ...