Headlines

A putative class action lawsuit has been filed in the state of Mississippi by George W. Schmidt, II of Schmidt Law Firm and co-counsel firm Motley Rice LLC against BP p.l.c. and several other drilling defendants in connection with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that occurred in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, April 20, 2010.

Motley Rice announces that lawyer and founding member Ronald L. Motley was named the 2010 recipient of the American Association for Justice's Lifetime Achievement Award, its most distinguished honor, in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to the legal profession and demonstrated commitment to the pursuit of justice.

Motley Rice LLC would like to join the international community in offering its deepest sympathy and condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of the 11 men who tragically lost their lives on April 20, 2010, as a result of the oil rig disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.

A deep-sea wellhead about 40 miles southeast of the Louisiana coast became unstable due to mounting gas pressures before suffering an explosion on Tuesday, April 20, 2010, that resulted in a massive oil spill that has had a destructive effect on the Gulf region's economy and those who depend upon the coast's tourism industry and ocean's resources for their livelihood.

The National Association of Securities Professionals (NASP) has welcomed Motley Rice attorney Marlon Kimpson to speak at its 21st Annual Pension and Financial Services Conference.

Motley Rice is proud to be exhibiting at the International Foundation Trustees and Administrators Institutes conference.

Reuters reports on the Delaware Court of Chancery's recent opinion regarding the proposed going-private merger between PLATO Learning, Inc. and Thoma Bravo, LLC.

The Delaware Court of Chancery has issued an opinion in a shareholder lawsuit seeking to enjoin the proposed going-private merger of PLATO Learning, Inc. (NASDAQ: TUTR) and subsidiaries of Thoma Bravo, LLC.

On May 7, 2010, U.S. District Judge Joel A. Pisano issued an order in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey regarding the bankruptcy case, In re Congoleum Corp., 09-cv-4371, and the dispute that has been a source of contention in the case over payments to Motley Rice member Joe Rice and Perry Weitz of Weitz & Luxenburg for their role as claimants' counsel in negotiating the global settlement against Congoleum.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recently distributed to all regional VA offices a 30-page training letter detailing a new policy for the offices to use when determining benefits for veterans who have been exposed to environmental hazards while on duty. Among the environmental hazards named are the burn pits used for waste disposal on military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan.