Appeals Court Says Dredging Contractors Not Liable For Katrina Damage

A federal appellate court has upheld a lower court ruling that found the private contractors who dredged and maintained a New Orleans shipping channel are not liable for damages that occurred to the city as a result of Hurricane Katrina, invoking a Supreme Court case that gives contractors acting on behalf of Congress immunity from liability. The Nov. 25 ruling in Ackerson, et al. v. Bean Dredging LLC, et al. comes only a week after a federal district court held...