Sewell et al v. Sewerage And Water Board of New Orleans et alMOTION for Partial Summary Judgment on Ultra-Hazardous ActivityE.D. La.September 13, 20161 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA ELIZABETH SEWELL, ET AL * CIVIL ACTION NO. 15-3117/ c/w * 15- 6276, 16-2326, 16-2328, 16-3120, * 16-4233, 16-4248, 16-12368 * VERSUS * JUDGE KURT D. ENGELHARDT * SEWERAGE & WATER BOARD * MAG. DANIEL E. KNOWLES OF NEW ORLEANS, ET AL * * SECTION “N”(3) * This document relates to all cases * ****************************************************************************** SEWERAGE & WATER BOARD OF NEW ORLEANS’ MOTION FOR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT ON ULTRA-HAZARDOUS ACTIVITY NOW INTO COURT, through undersigned counsel, comes defendant Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans (“SWB”), which respectfully moves for summary judgment pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56 to dismiss all claims for strict liability for ultra- hazardous activity against SWB in connection with the Napoleon Avenue III, Jefferson Avenue II, and Louisiana Avenue SELA Projects. For the reasons and legal authorities set forth in the attached Memorandum in Support of Motion for Partial Summary Judgment on Ultra-Hazardous Activity, SWB is entitled to judgment as a matter of law dismissing all claims by plaintiffs for strict liability for ultra- hazardous activity related to Napoleon Avenue III, Jefferson Avenue II, and Louisiana Avenue in the consolidated litigation with prejudice. Case 2:15-cv-03117-KDE-DEK Document 250 Filed 09/13/16 Page 1 of 2 2 Respectfully submitted, /s/ Christopher D. Wilson CRAIG B. MITCHELL #24565 CHRISTOPHER D. WILSON #27142 KIANA AARON MITCHELL #27568 KENNETH WAGUESPACK, Jr. #28796 LAUREN McKNIGHT #29340 JOHN MASON #33450 MITCHELL & ASSOCIATES, APLC 615 Baronne Street, Suite 300 New Orleans, Louisiana 70113 Telephone: (504)527-6433 Facsimile: (504) 527-6450 cbmitchell@mitchellaplc.com cdwilson@mitchellaplc.com kamitchell@mitchellaplc.com kwaguespack@mitchellaplc.com laurenm@mitchellaplc.com jmason@mitchellaplc.com Attorneys for Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans and ANTHONY J. STEWART #02128 SEWERAGE AND WATER BD OF NEW ORLEANS 625 St. Joseph Street, Room 201 New Orleans, LA 70165 Telephone: (504) 585-2236 Facsimile: (504) 585-2426 Nolan Lambert, Special Counsel CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE I HEREBY CERTIFY that on this 13th day of September, 2016 a copy of the foregoing was filed electronically with the Clerk of Court using the CM/ECF system. Notice of this filing will be sent to all known counsel of record by operation of the court’s electronic filing system. /s/ Christopher D. Wilson Case 2:15-cv-03117-KDE-DEK Document 250 Filed 09/13/16 Page 2 of 2 1 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA ELIZABETH SEWELL, ET AL * CIVIL ACTION NO. 15-3117/ c/w * 15- 6276, 16-2326, 16-2328, 16-3120, * 16-4233, 16-4248, 16-12368 * VERSUS * JUDGE KURT D. ENGELHARDT * SEWERAGE & WATER BOARD * MAG. DANIEL E. KNOWLES OF NEW ORLEANS, ET AL * * SECTION “N”(3) * This document relates to all cases * ****************************************************************************** SEWERAGE & WATER BOARD OF NEW ORLEANS’ MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF MOTION FOR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT ON ULTRA-HAZARDOUS ACTIVITY MAY IT PLEASE THE COURT: Defendant and Third-Party Plaintiff, Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans (“SWB”), respectfully moves for partial summary judgment, seeking dismissal of plaintiffs’ claims of strict liability for ultra-hazardous activity in connection with SELA projects Napoleon Avenue III, Louisiana Avenue, and Jefferson Avenue II. SWB submits that should the Court be persuaded by Third-Party Defendant Boh Bros. Construction Co., L.L.C (“Boh Bros.”) arguments that no ultra-hazardous pile-driving activity took place on Napoleon III or Louisiana Avenue, then summary judgment should be entered in favor of SWB, dismissing the same claims made by plaintiffs against SWB. There is no basis for liability against SWB for ultra-hazardous pile-driving but for that where conducted by Boh and the other contractors to the United States Army Corps of Engineers (“USACE”). It is uncontroverted that the SWB did not drive timber piles on any SELA Project phase. Case 2:15-cv-03117-KDE-DEK Document 250-1 Filed 09/13/16 Page 1 of 3 2 SWB hereby adopts and incorporates herein the arguments set forth by Boh in its Motion for Summary Judgment solely in the section entitled “All of SWB’s Strict liability Claims Relating to Alleged Pile Driving Activity on Napoleon 3 and Louisiana Must be Dismissed as a Matter of Law” that sheet-pile insertion is not ultra-hazardous activity, excepting the self-serving legal conclusions Boh Bros. placed into footnotes 376 and 377. Rec. Doc. 246-4, pages 60 – 61. Should the Court be persuaded by Boh’s argument, then it also applies to plaintiffs’ claims made against SWB over the exact same activities. Additionally, since Jefferson Avenue phase II, conducted by Cajun Constructors, LLC (“Cajun”), also did not involve any timber pile-driving, as argued by Cajun in its Motion for Summary Judgment (Rec. Doc. 233-5), this argument should also be applied to plaintiffs’ ultra-hazardous activity claims for that phase as well. Accordingly, because no timber-pile driving was conducted on Napoleon Avenue phase II, Jefferson Avenue phase II, or Louisiana Avenue, plaintiffs’ claims against SWB for strict liability for ultra-hazardous activity should be dismissed as to these three phases. . Respectfully submitted, /s/ Christopher D. Wilson CRAIG B. MITCHELL #24565 CHRISTOPHER D. WILSON #27142 KIANA AARON MITCHELL #27568 KENNETH WAGUESPACK, Jr. #28796 LAUREN McKNIGHT #29340 JOHN MASON #33450 MITCHELL & ASSOCIATES, APLC 615 Baronne Street, Suite 300 New Orleans, Louisiana 70113 Telephone: (504)527-6433 Facsimile: (504) 527-6450 cbmitchell@mitchellaplc.com cdwilson@mitchellaplc.com kamitchell@mitchellaplc.com kwaguespack@mitchellaplc.com Case 2:15-cv-03117-KDE-DEK Document 250-1 Filed 09/13/16 Page 2 of 3 3 laurenm@mitchellaplc.com jmason@mitchellaplc.com Attorneys for Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans and ANTHONY J. STEWART #02128 SEWERAGE AND WATER BD OF NEW ORLEANS 625 St. Joseph Street, Room 201 New Orleans, LA 70165 Telephone: (504) 585-2236 Facsimile: (504) 585-2426 Nolan Lambert, Special Counsel CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE I HEREBY CERTIFY that on this 13th day of September, 2016 a copy of the foregoing was filed electronically with the Clerk of Court using the CM/ECF system. Notice of this filing will be sent to all known counsel of record by operation of the court’s electronic filing system. /s/ Christopher D. Wilson Case 2:15-cv-03117-KDE-DEK Document 250-1 Filed 09/13/16 Page 3 of 3 1 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA ELIZABETH SEWELL, ET AL * CIVIL ACTION NO. 15-3117/ c/w * 15- 6276, 16-2326, 16-2328, 16-3120, * 16-4233, 16-4248, 16-12368 * VERSUS * JUDGE KURT D. ENGELHARDT * SEWERAGE & WATER BOARD * MAG. DANIEL E. KNOWLES OF NEW ORLEANS, ET AL * * SECTION “N”(3) * This document relates to all cases * ****************************************************************************** NOTICE OF SUBMISSION PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that counsel for Defendant, Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans (“SWB”), has requested to set for submission its Motion for Partial Summary Judgment on Ultra-Hazardous Activity on September 28, 2016 at 9:30 a.m. before the Honorable Kurt D. Engelhardt, Division N, at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, 500 Poydras Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70130. Respectfully submitted, /s/ Christopher D. Wilson CRAIG B. MITCHELL #24565 CHRISTOPHER D. WILSON #27142 KIANA AARON MITCHELL #27568 KENNETH WAGUESPACK, Jr. #28796 LAUREN McKNIGHT #29340 JOHN MASON #33450 MITCHELL & ASSOCIATES, APLC 615 Baronne Street, Suite 300 New Orleans, Louisiana 70113 Telephone: (504)527-6433 Facsimile: (504) 527-6450 Case 2:15-cv-03117-KDE-DEK Document 250-2 Filed 09/13/16 Page 1 of 2 2 cbmitchell@mitchellaplc.com cdwilson@mitchellaplc.com kamitchell@mitchellaplc.com kwaguespack@mitchellaplc.com laurenm@mitchellaplc.com jmason@mitchellaplc.com Attorneys for Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans and ANTHONY J. STEWART #02128 SEWERAGE AND WATER BD OF NEW ORLEANS 625 St. Joseph Street, Room 201 New Orleans, LA 70165 Telephone: (504) 585-2236 Facsimile: (504) 585-2426 Nolan Lambert, Special Counsel CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE I HEREBY CERTIFY that on this 13th day of September, 2016 a copy of the foregoing was filed electronically with the Clerk of Court using the CM/ECF system. Notice of this filing will be sent to all known counsel of record by operation of the court’s electronic filing system. /s/ Christopher D. Wilson Case 2:15-cv-03117-KDE-DEK Document 250-2 Filed 09/13/16 Page 2 of 2 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA ELIZABETH SEWELL, ET AL * CIVIL ACTION NO. 15-3117/ c/w * 15- 6276, 16-2326, 16-2328, 16-3120, * 16-4233, 16-4248, 16-12368 * VERSUS * JUDGE KURT D. ENGELHARDT * SEWERAGE & WATER BOARD * MAG. DANIEL E. KNOWLES OF NEW ORLEANS, ET AL * * SECTION “N”(3) * This document relates to all cases * ****************************************************************************** ORDER This matter came on submission before the Honorable Kurt D. Engelhardt on September 28, 2016, on the Motion for Partial Summary Judgment on Ultra-Hazardous Activity filed by Defendant and Third-Party Plaintiff, Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans (“SWB”). IT IS ORDERED that SWB’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment on Ultra- Hazardous Activity is GRANTED; and that plaintiffs’ claims in these matters for strict liability for ultra-hazardous activity on Napoleon Avenue Phase II, Jefferson Avenue Phase II, and Louisiana Avenue are hereby DISMISSED; New Orleans, Louisiana, this _____ day of September, 2016. ___________________________________ KURT D. ENGELHARDT, CHIEF JUDGE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT Case 2:15-cv-03117-KDE-DEK Document 250-3 Filed 09/13/16 Page 1 of 1
