A hole in an intervention

A class of plaintiffs settled with several insurance companies, resolving various disputes about a large sinkhole caused by years of salt mining by Texas Brine Co. Texas Brine objected to the settlement and the Fifth Circuit found that it lacked standing to do so. While “[n]on-settling parties generally lack standing to object to a settlement agreement,” “[a] potential exception exists ‘if the settlement agreement purports tot strip non-settling defendants of rights to contribution or indemnity.” Here, Texas Brine did not not have any right to indemnification or contribution from these insurers for the remaining claims, so it lacked standing to object to the settlement. LeBlanc v. Texas Brine Co., LLC, No. 20-30208 (March 1, 2021).