By KEVIN CHIRI

Publisher

RESERVE — One of the earliest lawsuits filed in the wake of the Hurricane Katrina disaster has been designated a class action group, with a Reserve attorney who headed one of the first suits, named to the executive committee of the legal counsel.

Daniel Becnel Jr. of Reserve was quick out of the gates to file a lawsuit against Murphy Oil following the spill into the St. Bernard area, where thousands of barrels of oil spilled into residential areas, affecting 1,800 homes.

Becnel was named by the U.S. Eastern District Court as one of the lead counsels in the case, which has now consolidated 27 lawsuits into the single class action suit.

Since the spill, Murphy Oil has worked with state and federal agencies to assess the scope of the spill, and has developed a &#8220settlement zone” where they have already been paying retribution to affected homeowners.

Additionally, cleanup has already begun, however Becnel asked the court to halt Murphy from seeking settlement claims with homeowners, until a final court ruling is made.

The class action suit seeks damages that include actual and punitive compensation, as well as mental anguish, emotional distress and all forms of bodily or property harm.

Only six defendants have been certified in the suit, to represent all others who have filed or will file claims in the case.

The spill resulted from a ruptured oil storage tank in St. Bernard Parish at the Mereaux refinery site.