The BP MDL and Its Aftermath: Whither OPA's Displacement Jurisprudence?

Article by John J. Costonis

This Article probes whether the pretrial ruling in the British Petroleum (BP) oil spill multidistrict litigation (MDL), which denied that the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA) displaces pre-OPA substantive maritime tort law, will prove durable in light of both the ruling’s problematic character and four subsequent Fifth Circuit decisions that suggest the evolution of OPA jurisprudence will be more amenable to a pro-displacement outcome.


About the Author

John J. Costonis: Chancellor-Emeritus and Professor of Law, LSU Law Center, Louisiana State University.

Citation

93 Tul. L. Rev. 511 (2019)