According to two articles in the Baton Rouge Advocate this morning, some courts and/or judges affected by the hurricane are temporarily relocating as follows:

1. The Louisiana Supreme Court will be housed with the First Circuit Court of Appeal

2. Three Eastern District judges — Chief Judge Helen G. Berrigan, and Judges Sarah Vance and Kurt Engelhardt — will “share chambers and courtrooms with their Baton Rouge counterparts in the Middle District”

3. The New Orleans bankruptcy court will “move in with the Baton Rouge bankruptcy court at 707 Florida St.”

With regard to the inability to file suits and other legal proceedings, the Advocate quotes Ray Lamonica, general counsel for LSU, as follows:

“The Louisiana Homeland Security and Emergency Assistance and Disaster Act gives the governor the authority to suspend regulatory laws that place time constraints on permits, appeals and other cases, he said.

But it likely will take an act of the Legislature to extend the amount of time attorneys have to file a lawsuit — generally one year from an accident or other incident, Lamonica said.”

Read the Advocate articles here:

http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/090705/new_resume001.shtml

http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/090705/new_findhomes001.shtml