Louisiana is closing in on reaching a $100 million settlement on a class-action lawsuit that dates back to 1983, when 1,200 home and business owners in Tangipahoa Parish sued the state over flooding caused by the construction of Interstate 12.
"We’ve worked on this for several years, negotiating a resolution that we thought was reasonable and fair," said Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne. "We are not comfortable that we’ve reached that number and we are proposing to the Legislature that we satisfy this obligation that the state has and put this to rest."
The state already has $21 million set aside to pay for the settlement and Dardenne says they need the legislature to allocate $45 million this year and another $35 million next year to satisfy the settlement.
"So there had been some piecemeal attempts to put a little money towards this settlement, but this is a comprehensive settlement that will satisfy the judgment and end it once and for all, but the legislature will have to agree with this," said Dardenne.
About a third of the 1,200 plaintiffs in the class action have died waiting for this lawsuit to be resolved. Dardenne says the money will go to their heirs.
"A lot of these businesses have closed, a lot of folks are deceased but their heirs are going to be entitled to receive what the deceased individuals otherwise would have gotten, that will be a process and it will take some time and it will be involved," said Dardenne.
