8 suits filed over crude oil spill along Bayou Teche

(AP) — Eight lawsuits have been filed by people seeking damages from a Texas industrial services company that spilled about 12,500 gallons of crude oil in March along and into the Bayou Teche.

The U.S. Coast Guard has said about 12,500 gallons of crude oil flowed through an open valve and spilled onto the surrounding land and some of it into the nearby bayou.

The plaintiffs seek damages for contamination to property, groundwater and aquifers; contamination to wildlife, ground and vegetation; property devaluation; and punitive damages against the company.