Stewart v. BP Exploration & Production, Inc. et al

Filing 72

ORDER granting 53 Motion in Limine; granting 54 Motion for Summary Judgment; denying 56 Motion for Extension of Deadlines as set forth in document. Signed by Judge Jay C. Zainey on 10/21/2022. (mmm)

Case 2:17-cv-04184-JCZ-MBN Document 72 Filed 10/24/22 Page 1 of 6

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
EASTERN DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA

ARRINGTON

CIVIL ACTION

VERSUS

NO. 17-3025

BP EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION, INC., ET AL.

SECTION “A”

BEELER

CIVIL ACTION

VERSUS

NO. 17-3039

BP EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION, INC., ET AL.

SECTION “A”

BENDOLPH

CIVIL ACTION

VERSUS

NO. 17-3041

BP EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION, INC., ET AL.

SECTION “A”

BYRD

CIVIL ACTION

VERSUS

NO. 17-3073

BP EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION, INC., ET AL.

SECTION “A”

HALSELL

CIVIL ACTION

VERSUS

NO. 17-3262

BP EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION, INC., ET AL.

SECTION “A”

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Case 2:17-cv-04184-JCZ-MBN Document 72 Filed 10/24/22 Page 2 of 6

GARCIA

CIVIL ACTION

VERSUS

NO. 17-3541

BP EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION, INC., ET AL.

SECTION “A”

STEWART

CIVIL ACTION

VERSUS

NO. 17-4184

BP EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION, INC., ET AL.

SECTION “A”

JOHNSON

CIVIL ACTION

VERSUS

NO. 17-4369

BP EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION, INC., ET AL.

SECTION “A”

SIMMONS

CIVIL ACTION

VERSUS

NO. 17-4583

BP EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION, INC., ET AL.

SECTION “A”

TOBIAS

CIVIL ACTION

VERSUS

NO. 17-4613

BP EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION, INC., ET AL.

SECTION “A”

MCMILLAN

CIVIL ACTION

VERSUS

NO. 17-4649

BP EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION, INC., ET AL.

SECTION “A”

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Case 2:17-cv-04184-JCZ-MBN Document 72 Filed 10/24/22 Page 3 of 6

ORDER
The captioned cases are B3 lawsuits that were allotted to this section from
Judge Barbier’s MDL 2179 pertaining to the Deepwater Horizon disaster that
occurred in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. The B3 pleading bundle includes
personal injury claims due to oil or chemical exposure during the disaster
response. See In re Oil Spill by Oil Rig “Deepwater Horizon” in Gulf of Mexico, on
April 20, 2010, No. MDL 2179, 2021 WL 6055613, at *1 (E.D. La. Apr. 1, 2021).
B3 plaintiffs either opted out of the Medical Settlement or were not members of
the settlement class. Id. at *2 (discussing the Medical Benefits Class Action
Settlement Agreement in MDL 2179).
The plaintiff in each captioned B3 lawsuit was employed in the Deepwater Horizon
oil spill response effort and claims that exposure to crude oil and chemical dispersants
(the former being released by the oil spill itself and the latter being used in the cleanup
process) caused various personal injuries, some temporary and some long-term.
From the inception of the severed B3 cases, it has been understood that to prevail
“B3 plaintiffs must prove that the legal cause of the claimed injury or illness is exposure
to oil or other chemicals used during the response.” In re Oil Spill by Oil Rig “Deepwater
Horizon,” 2021 WL 6055613, at *11. Because causation had proved to be the critical
element in the BELO cases, it was predicted to be the “make-or-break” issue for many B3
cases as well. Id. (comparing and contrasting BELO cases and B3 cases). A B3 plaintiff
must prove that the legal cause of the claimed injury or illness is exposure to oil or other

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chemicals used during the oil spill response. Id. The issue of causation will require an
individualized inquiry. Id.
The plaintiff’s burden with respect to causation in a toxic tort case involves proof
of both general causation and specific causation. See Knight v. Kirby Inland Marine, Inc.,
482 F.3d 347, 351 (5th Cir. 2007). General causation is whether a substance is capable
of causing a particular injury or condition in the general population. Id. at 351. Specific
causation is whether a substance caused a particular individual’s injury, i.e., the plaintiff’s
injury. Id. (citing Merrell Dow Pharm., Inc. v. Havner, 953 S.W.2d 706, 714 (Tex. 1997)).
If the plaintiff’s case fails at the first-step of producing admissible evidence as to general
causation, then the issue of specific causation is rendered moot. See id. (citing Miller v.
Pfizer, Inc., 356 F.3d 1326, 1329 (10th Cir. 2004)).
In each of the hundreds of B3 cases that were reassigned from MDL 2179 to the
judges of this district, the plaintiff attempted to prove both general and specific causation
by relying on expert medical doctor, Jerald Cook, M.D. Dr. Cook’s expert report, of which
there have been several versions, has been described by another judge as “an omnibus,
non-case specific general causation expert report that has been used by many B3
plaintiffs.” Backstrom v. BP Explor. & Prod., Inc., No. 17-3029, 2022 WL 2342390, at *1
(E.D. La. June 29, 2022) (Barbier, J.). Unfortunately, no version of Dr. Cook’s report has
been accepted in this district.
The motions in limine in the captioned cases pertain to the plaintiff’s use of Dr.
Cook’s report, and the testimony that would derive from it at trial, as evidence of both
general and specific causation. Movants seek to exclude Dr. Cook’s opinions on various
grounds including the principles espoused in Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals,

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Inc., 509 U.S. 579 (1993). Again, Dr. Cook’s report has been rejected under Daubert by
the judges of this district. If Dr. Cook’s opinions are excluded from trial, then Defendants
argue that their motion for summary judgment must be granted because the plaintiff in
each case will have no expert medical causation evidence, which would constitute a
complete failure of proof on an essential element of the case.
This Court has carefully studied and considered the numerous decisions issued by
the other judges of this district who have determined that Dr. Cook’s opinions should be
excluded. For the same reasons given by Judges Vance, Barbier, Morgan, Milazzo, and
Ashe when they granted the defendants’ motions in limine directed at the same or even
“improved” versions of Dr. Cook’s report, the Court GRANTS Defendants’ motions in
limine in the captioned cases. Consequently, Defendants’ motions for summary judgment
are likewise GRANTED.
The Court notes that the plaintiff has filed a motion for extension of deadlines in
each of the captioned cases, contending that the Court should refrain from ruling on any
dispositive motions pending the resolution of the 30(b)(6) discovery dispute in the TorresLugo matter, Civil Action 20-210. As Judge Barbier noted in his cases when faced with
the identical motion for extension of deadlines, the discovery dispute does not affect the
causation inquiry that has proved fatal in the various B3 cases in this district. (Rec. Doc.
61, Civil Action 17-3070).
Accordingly;
IT IS ORDERED that the Motions in Limine filed in each of the captioned cases
are GRANTED.

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IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the Motions for Summary Judgment filed in each
of the captioned cases are GRANTED and that all of the claims of the plaintiffs against
all of the defendants in the captioned cases are dismissed with prejudice.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the Motions for Extension of Deadlines filed in
each of the captioned cases are DENIED.
October 21, 2022
_____________________________
Jay C. Zainey
United States District Judge

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