BP faces slew of lawsuits over Gulf of Mexico oil spill

WASHINGTON (AFP) - British Petroleum faces a slew of lawsuits filed in Louisiana, Alabama and elsewhere accusing it of negligence over a giant oil spill coming from a sunken oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico.

The suits came as US government officials warned BP was responsible for clean-up of the massive slick, and the British oil giant pledged to pay for "legitimate claims" stemming from the disaster.

Two shrimpers filed suit in New Orleans on Wednesday seeking class-action status on behalf of all Louisiana residents who live or work in, or derive their income from the zone affected by the oil spill.

Their suit alleges that the fire, explosion and resulting oil spill at the rig in the Gulf of Mexico were "caused by the joint negligence and fault" of British energy giant BP and other defendants.

BP leased the Deepwater Horizon platform from Transocean, which is also named in the suit along with Cameron International, the company that manufactured a key safety valve that failed to fully shut off oil in the rig.

Two other Louisiana shrimpers have filed a similar lawsuit before a federal court in Lafayette.

In Alabama, six lawsuits were filed on Thursday and Friday, most of them seeking class-action status.

The plaintiffs include fishermen, shrimpers, seafood distributors, and restaurants, but also tour and fishing boat operators, whose livelihoods are directly threatened by the oil slick that has already begun washing up on Louisiana's fragile coastline.

On Thursday, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs warned of the cost of the oil containment and clean-up efforts, noting that "BP pays for all this."

President Barack Obama has also noted publicly that the oil firm must pay for the operation.

"BP is ultimately responsible for funding the cost of response and clean-up operations," he said Thursday.

BP has said it is committed to combating the oil spill, and company spokeswoman Sheila William told AFP Friday that the firm would assume costs related to the cleanup and pay out "legitimate" claims.

BP is "taking full responsibility for the spill and we will clean it up and where people can present legitimate claims for damages we will honor them," she said.

The lawsuits filed against BP so far all accuse the oil giant of failing to take appropriate action to prevent the Deepwater Horizon rig from blowing up on April 20 and sinking into the Gulf of Mexico two days later.

Halliburton also faces claims over its alleged failure to properly strengthen the walls of the oil rig.

The suits all follow the same format, seeking damages of at least five million dollars, the minimum specified by law, and each aims to attract additional plaintiffs affected by the spill.

At least one lawsuit has already been filed in Mississippi, which also faces the prospect of oil washing on its coastline.

Oil is believed to be gushing into the Gulf of Mexico at a rate of 5,000 barrels a day, raising fears that the spill could rival the catastrophic Exxon Valdez disaster.

At least one employee of the rig, who was injured in the explosion that killed 11 of his colleagues, has filed suit against BP and Transocean in New Orleans.

On Friday, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal said his state was not yet looking at the possibility of legal action.

"I know there will be time later for folks to consider litigation claims, financial reimbursement. Right now the focus has to be protecting our coasts," he said.

Source: Yahoo! News

 

I watched a video that showed what the cleanup entails. It said that the oil companies "sell" the cleanup materials "to themselves" so the cost of the cleanup can be written off. :-?

 

Oil companies need all the billions/trillions they can get. :neutral:

 

You know it. And if they can write it off they can have us help pay for their screw up.

 

the bail out they will receive will come through the increase in gas prices.
I saw in the news the oil industry has been receiving a heap load of money from the US Govt for years. I like to call it the business welfare check. they have been receiving free money for research and development. so much for capitolism and pulling yourself up by your boot-straps.