Two recent court decisions could clear the way for sanctioning government officials and agencies that don’t properly plan—or follow their plans—for disasters.

A Louisiana state appeals court ruled earlier this month that Jefferson Parish and its drainage district could be liable if they failed to implement or maintain emergency plans, or if they “simply wrote a bad plan,” according an article in the Times-Picayune. The ruling, if not challenged, could open the door to converting the original 2005 suit into a class action suit.

The original suit stemmed from the parish president’s choice to evacuate pump operators and leave pump stations unmanned during Hurricane Katrina, the article states. Homeowners affected by the resulting floods believe the parish and district should be held accountable. The court agreed—if the damage was the result of not properly following the parish’s emergency plan.

According to the Times-Picayune, “The law that protected public officials ‘was created to provide immunity for governmental actors who are forced to make instantaneous decisions during crisis situations,’ the ruling states. ‘It was not created to provide immunity for the creation of a crisis plan some seven years prior to an unforeseen crisis.’”

A federal case claiming similar laxity in planning could hold the Army Corps of Engineers responsible for work they did building a 76-mile shipping channel known as the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO), according to another Times-Picayune article.

In that case, homeowners along the MRGO claimed Army Corps negligence “destroyed protective wetlands and turned the shipping channel into a speedway for storm surge that flooded thousands of homes during the 2005 hurricane,” according to the article. Although both sides requested a summary judgment, the case will go to trial April 20.

The majority of Katrina victims seeking solace from the legal system have been turned away on grounds of immunity. (For an interesting list of related rulings, see the Louisiana State University Law Center’s Levee Law listing.) Pierce O'Donnell, lawyer for the plaintiffs, said the decision would be the first trial for Katrina victims, and if successful, he would ask Washington to make things right.

“We are looking to the White House for leadership in expeditiously resolving the claims of Katrina victims in a fair and equitable manner,” he told the Times-Picayune. “The continued stonewalling of Katrina victims is a national disgrace.”