Houston Attorneys Prevail in Class Certification Suit in Louisiana Appeals Court

Houston attorneys Kevin Risley and Christina Culver obtained reversal of an order granting class certification in the 2^nd Circuit Court of Appeals in Louisiana.  The court agreed that the plaintiffs did not meet a single element of the six steps necessary to certify a class under Louisiana law. The claims arose out of an October 2012 explosion at a weapons demilitarization plant and the subsequent recommended evacuation of an area around the plant after authorities investigating the explosion discovered six million pounds of improperly stored explosives. The lawsuit also concerned the duty of the carrier to indemnify the insured for remediation costs associated with the explosion and removal of the improperly stored explosives, and the right of the carrier to rescind the insurance policy it issued on the grounds that the insured made material misrepresentations in its applications with the intent to deceive. The case is In Reeves v. Explo Systems, Inc., 293 SO.2d 119 (La. App. 2 Cir. 2020).