On January 30, 2008, a federal judge dismissed a class action lawsuit brought by citizens of New Orleans against the US Army Corps of Engineers, stating that a 1928 law granted them immunity from such suits. The lawsuit accused the Corps of negligence due to the collapse of a flood wall and levee as a result of Huricane Katrina. In September 2012, the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit found the Corps not liable for canal breaches connected to Katrina due to immunity provided to them under the Torts Claims Act. On January 18, a federal grand jury indicted [PDF] former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin on 21 criminal counts, including bribery and money laundering, in connection to post-Katrina rebuilding.


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Learn more about Hurricane Katrina from the JURIST news archive.

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