Civil Lawsuit Against Army Corps of Engineers Over Katrina Destruction Began Yesterday

As the New York Times reports, the Katrina lawsuit against the Army Corps of Engineers began yesterday in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.   Judge Stanwood R. Duval is hearing the case without a jury.  Plaintiffs claim that the poor design of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet, a 76 mile channel from New Orleans to the Gulf of Mexico, amplified the hurricane’s damage. In March, Judge Duval rejected the government’s immunity defense because the MR-GO was not a flood control measure, but rather a navigation channel.  The trial is expected to last a month.  

– SBS

Update (from BC): A comment below notes the Slabbed blog, which is providing extensive coverage of the trial.