Inclusive Louisiana, Mount Triumph Baptist Church, RISE St. James v. St. James Parish, et al
Date Filed:
March 21, 2023
Current Status
Inclusive Louisiana, Mount Triumph Baptist Church, and RISE St. James filed suit in federal district court in New Orleans against St. James Parish on March 21, 2023. The parties are awaiting a ruling on Defendants' Motions to Dismiss and to Strike the Complaint.
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Pamela Spees
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Astha Sharma Pokharel
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Sadaf Doost
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Baher Azmy
Co-Counsel
Tulane Environmental Law Clinic
Counsel for RISE St. James
Bill Quigley
Client(s)
Inclusive Louisiana
Mount Triumph Baptist Church
Case Description
Inclusive Louisiana, Mount Triumph Baptist Church, and RISE St. James brought this action against St. James Parish for its decades of environmental racism and discriminatory siting of industrial facilities in predominantly Black communities in the Parish. The lawsuit seeks a moratorium on all new sitings of industrial facilities and expansions of existing facilities, protection of unmarked cemeteries of people once enslaved in the Parish, and a court-monitored process involving directly-affected communities to help assess remediation and guide transformation.
Plaintiffs' Opposition to Parish's Motions to Strike & Dismiss
August 14, 2023
Plaintiffs' Opposition to Parish's Motions to Strike & Dismiss
Plaintiffs file a brief demonstrating why their claims should not be dismissed and why the complaint should not be struck because it details the long history of discrimination, which began with slavery, continued through Jim Crow, and today results in majority-Black districts in the Parish having among the highest risks of cancer and other illnesses in the country.
Defendants' Re-submitted R. 12 Motion to Strike the Allegations and Dismiss Claims
July 21, 2023
Defendants' Re-submitted R. 12 Motion to Strike the Allegations and Dismiss Claims
July 17, 2023
Amended Complaint
Parish's Motion to Strike and Dismiss
June 16, 2023
Parish's Motion to Strike and Dismiss
Parish Defendants file a Motion to Dismiss Plaintiffs' claims confronting the Parish's history of environmental racism and a Motion to Strike all of their allegations, which they argue are "immaterial, impertinent, scandalous, and irrelevant."
March 21, 2023
Complaint filed
Plaintiffs sue St. James Parish for its long history of environmental racism and intentional discrimination in the siting of heavy industrial facilities in majority Black parts of the Parish.
Last modified: August 25, 2023
