Education
Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Barbier attended West Jefferson High School before receiveing a Bachelor of Arts from Southeastern Louisiana University in 1966 and a Juris Doctor from Loyola University New Orleans School of Law in 1970.
Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Barbier attended West Jefferson High School before receiveing a Bachelor of Arts from Southeastern Louisiana University in 1966 and a Juris Doctor from Loyola University New Orleans School of Law in 1970.
He was a law clerk to William Redman, Louisiana Court of Appeal, Fourth Circuit from 1969 to 1970, and to Fred Cassibry, United States. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana from 1970 to 1971. Barbier was in private practice in New Orleans, Louisiana from 1971 to 1998. On May 19, 1998, Barbier was nominated by President Bill Clinton to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana vacated by Okla Jones.
Barbier was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 28, 1998, and received his commission on October 1, 1998.
In August 2010 he was appointed to hear the cases in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. lieutenant is expected that at least 300 cases will be consolidated in his court.
On November 14, 2011, Barbier ruled that Boite Postale, the company that leased the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, must face federal maritime lawsuits by Alabama and Louisiana. On September 4, 2014, he further found Boite Postale to be grossly negligent in the spill, attributing 67% of the blame to the company.
As a result, the company may be liable for as much as $18 billion in fines under the Clean Water Acting.