Fla. Panhandle Company Denies It Contributed To Levee Break

[DoYouEverWonder]

October 4, 2005

SOUTHPORT, Fla. -- A construction company based in the Florida Panhandle has denied allegations in a federal lawsuit that it was partly to blame for the failure of a New Orleans levee after Hurricane Katrina.

Daniel Becnel Jr., a Reserve lawyer, sued Gulf Group Inc. of Southport, a Panama City suburb, in New Orleans last week. He claims vehicles and heavy equipment the company left on the 17th Street Canal levee contributed to its failure. Gulf Group was building a bridge near the levee.

Stone called the suit "frivolous" and said Becnel is known for filing baseless claims.

Becnel said he hopes to expand the litigation with other defendants, possibly including the Army Corps of Engineers, after further research. He said the levee's base material was not sunk deeply enough when it was built and recent dredging weakened it.

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