United States District Court, Orleans Parish, Louisiana, Civil Action.
The City opened the Gentilly Landfill after Hurricane Katrina and used the area to dispose of hurricane debris in return for millions of dollars from federal agencies and others. The City claimed to own the property, but public records showed that most of the landfill was on property owned by private landowners. A group of landowners filed a class action lawsuit asking for compensation for the illegal use of their land. After years of litigation and negotiations, in January of 2015, attorneys with Waltzer Wiygul & Garside reached an $8,000,000 settlement that will pay owners of the disputed property about $1 per square foot of their property plus a flat fee. This settlement represents a premium price for land in the area.