Hurricane Maria

Lawyer’s RICO suit seeks to force fossil fuel companies to pay for hurricane damage

A small-town Illinois lawyer who once sued oil companies over contaminated land has turned her attention to climate change and the companies allegedly fueling the problem.

Jul 19, 2023 3:40 PM CDT

Top ABA officials will visit hurricane relief sites in Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands

ABA President Hilarie Bass and President-elect Robert M. Carlson will be visiting the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico on Monday and Tuesday to observe hurricane relief efforts and discuss future plans.

Jun 29, 2018 4:48 PM CDT

Florida nonprofit legal clinic hires Puerto Rican attorneys displaced by Hurricane Maria

The Puerto Rican Bar Association of Florida has opened a nonprofit legal clinic focused on providing legal services to Puerto Ricans who have settled in Florida after fleeing Hurricane Maria—and the clinic is employing displaced Puerto Rican attorneys.

Mar 8, 2018 9:51 AM CST

ABA mobilizes aid to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

For the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, the need for legal aid has been particularly great because power and telecommunications infrastructure will not be as easy to restore.

Feb 1, 2018 1:10 AM CST

Social media unites lawyers to help those in need

Hurricane Harvey, and then Hurricane Irma, proved to be the coming of age for social media as tools for court systems and the legal profession to deal with such emergencies.

Feb 1, 2018 12:05 AM CST

It’s difficult to describe lawyers’ situations in Puerto Rico, but hurricane damage was ‘extreme’

The impact of the hurricanes over the island was not uniform, with some areas suffering extreme devastation. There was greater havoc in the eastern and central parts of the island, so many lawyers in those communities are still without power in their offices.

Feb 1, 2018 12:03 AM CST

Legal community meets relief challenges after hurricanes Harvey and Irma

Attorneys affected by hurricanes Harvey and Irma have risen to the occasion in ways personal, professional and altruistic, even when dealing with storm damage of their own. And four months after two hurricanes hit Puerto Rico, the situation for lawyers there is still hard to assess.

Feb 1, 2018 12:00 AM CST

Judiciary’s handling of sexual harassment complaints will be evaluated, Chief Justice Roberts says

The judiciary will evaluate the way it handles complaints of sexual harassment and its own standards of conduct regarding inappropriate behavior, according to Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.

Jan 3, 2018 11:49 AM CST

After Hurricane Maria, some University of Puerto Rico law students come to mainland schools

Hiram Meléndez Juarbe was one week into teaching law school classes at the University of Puerto Rico when Hurricane Irma hit, and before they could reopen, Hurricane Maria arrived.

Oct 13, 2017 11:30 AM CDT

Island lawyers start to pick up the pieces in the wake of hurricanes

As someone who had lived in the U.S. Virgin Islands since he graduated from law school in 1982, Tom Bolt has experienced hurricane damage firsthand. “In 1989 we had Hurricane Hugo, which devastated St. Croix,” says Bolt, shareholder and managing attorney of BoltNagi P.C. and member of the ABA Board…

Sep 29, 2017 3:45 PM CDT

Trump administration waives shipping law to allow more deliveries to Puerto Rico

President Donald Trump has temporarily waived a shipping law called the Jones Act that some believed to be hampering shipments of supplies to Puerto Rico after destruction caused by Hurricane Maria. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced the waiver Thursday on Twitter, report the New York Times, the…

Sep 28, 2017 8:55 AM CDT

Hurricane Maria shuts down federal courthouses; Sotomayor can’t reach some family members

Justice Sonia Sotomayor said on Thursday that she has not heard from half her family in Puerto Rico since Hurricane Maria struck the island. Speaking at the Newseum, Sotomayor said Puerto Rico “is suffering a great tragedy right now” and she and her family are very concerned, CNN reports. “We…

Sep 22, 2017 11:17 AM CDT

ABA helps set up hotline for islanders needing legal assistance after hurricanes

With the infrastructure of the U.S. Virgin Islands heavily damaged by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the ABA has helped launch a mainland hotline for those needing legal assistance. By dialing 800-310-7029, residents of the U.S. Virgin Islands can call to request disaster-related legal assistance between the hours of 9 a.m.…

Sep 21, 2017 7:30 AM CDT