St. Mary Parish, along with the cities of New Iberia and Franklin, have filed a proposed class action lawsuit against AT&T and Lumen Technologies in relation to soil and groundwater contamination stemming from lead-wrapped communications cables.

The litigation filed in state district court on behalf of St. Mary Parish, the cities of New Iberia and Franklin, and affected individuals claims that the companies have known for years about potential health risks from the deteriorating cables. According to federal and state authorities, exposure to lead can build over time and cause significant health issues for children and adults, particularly women of child-bearing age.

“Over decades, these companies ignored the dangers, then more recently acknowledged the dangers, but they still have not developed an actionable plan to remediate the dangers,” says Korey Nelson, an attorney in the New Orleans office of Burns Charest LLP. “Through this lawsuit, we intend to discover corporate records that document exactly where these cables exist throughout the state of Louisiana and anticipate many other local governments and individuals will be affected.”

The lawsuit seeks damages for trespass and negligence against the defendants, claiming that the known health risks “will continue until the cables are removed, the contamination is stopped, and the properties are restored to their original, uncontaminated condition.”

Plaintiffs are represented by Korey Nelson and Amanda Klevorn of Burns Charest along with attorneys Barry Sallinger of Lafayette and Robert C. Vines of New Iberia.

The case is Parish of St. Mary et al. v. Lumen Technologies, Inc and AT&T, Inc., No. 13575 filed in the 16th Judicial District Court for the Parish of St. Mary.

More details and updates to follow as they become available. 

Read the full complaint here: