BP Settlement Updates
Posted onJust to keep you updated, the GCCF is closed and you will now need to have you claims filed in New Orleans through an agency that is monitored by the courts. The great news is that $7.8 Billions dollars is now available for BP claimants. This amount is not capped so if necessary, more funds will be available if payments go over this amount.
How This Update Affects You
You will now need an attorney to assist you in filing your BP settlement / BP claims in New Orleans. We have experienced BP lawyers and adjusters who would be happy to help you. Call us today or fill out the form on the right to get started on your claim.
The previous GCCF was known for taking advantage of valid BP claimants by offering an unfair BP settlement that was very low. They knew that the affected businesses were in desperate need of money, and many businesses accepted the low BP settlement since they needed the funds immediately. The new agency that has replaced the GCCF is promising fair payouts without costly delays.
Included Industries in the New System
-Real property damage for coastal and wetland owners
-Property value losses
-Seafood industry
-Vessels
-Loss of subsistence
-Medical issues caused by the oil spill
Contact us at 1-888-888-5924 for more information. We have an experienced team who will review your case.
Click Here to Get Started on Your BP Claim Now
BP Settlement News
UK Government Officials Say BP not Seeking Prime Minister’s Help in Gulf Oil Spill Case
Posted onLondon, UK – UK government officials declared on Thursday that British Petroleum hasn’t sought the help of David Cameron – the British Prime Minister – in reducing the compensation payouts relating to the company’s role in causing the catastrophic April 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill in the GoM (Gulf of Mexico).
There were reports that the British oil giant would seek the help of UK Prime Minister to convince the United States Government that the Deepwater Horizon Center is paying out too much to the Gulf Coast businesses. The reports indicated that Cameron would raise this issue during the summit of world leaders which will be hosted by Britain next month.
Government officials say BP has not approached Cameron so far on this issue. They said Cameron didn’t raise this issue to United States President Barack Obama at the time of his American visit which ended on last Wednesday.
Now the British Petroleum Corporation is in an attempt to stop paying out millions in what the company believes inflated claims for damages in connection with the April 2010 oil spill catastrophe in the United States Gulf of Mexico. BP says such “absurd” payouts awarded to a number of “fictitious” compensation claims are putting the company’s financial prospects at risk. BP complains that many undeserved businesses along the Gulf Coast are getting huge amounts of money by filing fake claims. The UK-based energy giant alleges that the administrator of Deepwater Horizon Claims Centre – Mr. Patrick Juneau – is misinterpreting the terms of its settlement for making such “absurd” payouts to Gulf Coast businesses that claimed “non-existent” and “artificially calculated” losses.
As part of its effort to halt the payouts for business claims, BP had filed a request in the United States District Court in New Orleans which was discarded by Judge Carl Barbier. The attorneys representing Gulf oil spill victims also criticized BP for its move to halt compensation payouts. Anyway, BP is now appealing Barbier’s ruling at the United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit.
11 rig workers were tragically killed in the explosion that followed the blowout of BP’s Macondo well on 20th April, 2010. The leak continued for 87 days and more than 200 m barrels of crude oil was spilled into the Gulf. Numerous lawsuits were filed against BP after the accident. It was in last year that the company reached a settlement with the attorneys representing the Gulf Coast individuals and businesses that suffered losses because of the disaster.
Jury Allows Deepwater Horizon Administrator to Continue Oil Spill Payouts
Posted onPatrick Juneau, the court-appointed Deepwater Horizon spill claims administrator, has been allowed to continue making compensation payments to the businesses impacted by the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill catastrophe in the GoM while the British Petroleum Corporation is appealing the decision by judge regarding the payouts.
A 3-judge panel of the fifth United States Circuit Appeals Court rejected the British oil giant’s request to issue a stay against an April ruling by United States District Judge Carl J Barbier.
On 5th April, 2013, Judge Barbier denied BP’s request to halt the compensation payouts to the Gulf Coast businesses impacted by the spill. According to BP, many payouts made by the current administrator of the Deepwater Horizon Claims Centre were “absurd”. The oil company argued that payouts were given to several “fictitious” oil spill claims by the businesses along the Gulf Coast. The British energy major complained that Juneau’s interpretation of the terms of the settlement between BP and the oil spill victims is too liberal for the company to afford.
Plaintiffs’ attorneys criticized BP’s move. They said that nobody else is responsible if BP had underestimated the cost of a deal signed by the company itself.
When BP signed the deal last year, its calculation was that the settlement would cost the company nearly $7.8 bn. Later the company changed this amount to $8.8 bn. However, now BP is really worried that the settlement – which is not capped – would cost the company far more. Total payouts for oil spill-related business losses have now been running at nearly $250 million per month. That is why the company is now trying hard all the way to halt oil spill compensation payouts. Its attempts have been an utter failure so far. Judge Barbier has already upheld the Deepwater Horizon Centre administrator’s interpretation of the terms of the settlement between BP and the attorneys representing the private businesses and individuals impacted by the Gulf of Mexico spill. The judge rejected BP’s argument that Patrick Juneau exposed it to making payments for fabricated losses.
On Monday, the fifth Circuit Court agreed to expedite the appeal filed by BP following Judge Barbier’s ruling.
According to BP, it’d be “irreparably harmed” if the appeal is rejected. Additionally, then the oil spill settlement will become a permanent black mark on the justice system of the United States, BP says.
Woman Gets 57-month Imprisonment for Fraud Linked to BP Oil Spill
Posted onNew Orleans, Louisiana – A woman from Belle Chasse was sentenced for 57 months of imprisonment on Thursday by a federal judge after she hosted a deceitful hazardous debris safety program following the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill catastrophe.
Connie Knight was also asked to pay US$23500 in restitution. Knight is 47 years old.
According to the United States Justice Department, Knight conducted classes and claimed that those classes satisfied all the requirements for people who are interested in helping oil spill cleanup. However, some of the classes last just 2 hours. This was far less than the genuine 6-day classroom training sessions, in addition to on-site training for 3 days.
In January, Knight admitted guilty to 3 felony charges as well as a misdemeanor for impersonating a government official by producing a fraudulent identification document.
“Soon after the worst environmental catastrophe in the history of Untied States, Ms. Knight profited illegally from a society which was suffering already from the effects of the Deepwater Horizon disaster by impersonating a government official and giving hopes of employment. For such an act, she is now held answerable to the maximum extend of the law,” said Ignacia Moreno, the Asst. Attorney General.
The Department of Justice (DoJ) says Knight introduced herself as a top official with the OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration). She claimed that she has the right to receive money from individuals in the Louisiana State who wished to work in the cleanup projects following the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Actually she had no connection with OSHA and wasn’t authorized to conduct hazardous safety training.
Most of those convinced by her were Southeast Asian fishermen. Many of them didn’t speak or even read English. Shrimping regions where they had worked were closed at that time because of the oil spill disaster. Knight arranged classes and collected cash payment from $150 to $350. 950 or more people attended her classes and paid her.
Nevertheless, some individuals who attended the classes of Ms. Knight and received fake certifications created by her ended up accessing dangerous debris cleanup sites.
“Ms. Knight deceived individuals who were in desperate need for job. This created the risk of inadequately trained workers be exposed themselves to dangerous debris. Additionally, the public also were put in danger because hazardous waste was cleaned up or handled improperly,” said EPA’s Enforcement & Compliance Assurance Office Administrator Cynthia Giles.