The Buzbee Law Firm's Guide to Oil Spill Claims

The Department of Justice has ordered an independent audit to be conducted on the Gulf Coast Claims Facility.  Florida Senator Bill Nelson wants more transparency in the claims facility’s operations.  He sent a letter to President Obama once it was reported that the Gulf Coast Claims Facility paid a $10 million dollar claim to an unnamed company at BP’s request.  Read the full article here.

Lawyers are suing BP stating that the oil giant is forcing claimants to accept final settlements using coercive tactics.  The lawyers want a federal judge to appoint a special master to oversee the fund, and “suspend the effectiveness” of all releases signed by claimants who received money from the fund.  Click here to read more.

Attorney General Eric Holder announced that an independent audit will be performed on the $20 billion oil spill fund.  Holder stressed that the fund’s “highest priority” should be timeliness and fairness in processing claims.  Click here to read more.

The Daily has acquired video segments of Tony Hayward’s deposition testimony in which a federal judge has ordered to be taken down after complaints from BP.  The Daily is refusing to comply.  Hayward spent three days in a London law office giving deposition testimony as part of a federal lawsuit filed by several states and hundreds of plaintiffs.   Click here to read the full article.

Mississippi’s attorney general has sued Kenneth Feinberg, the administrator of BP’s $20B oil spill fund, to gain access to claims filed by coastal residents.  Jim Hood is seeking to make the claims process more transparent, to prove Feinberg is looking out for the best interests of the oil spill victims.  ”If you don’t have anything to hide, show your hand,” Hood said.  Click here to read more.

BP told the administrations of their $20 billion oil spill fund to stop most payments on future loses as the economy the gulf coast region has recovered.   In the 29 page statement, BP told the Gulf Coast Claims Facility that the economy “experienced a robust recovery” in the fall of 2010 and, with a few exceptions, has overcome any lingering effects of last years spill.  Click here to read the full article.

On June 22nd, Transocean released its official report on the Deepwater Horizon explosion.  The two volume, 854 page report, spared no detail and placed the fault on BP.  It’s no surprise that Transocean is deflecting the blame as the companies involved are fighting to stay away from tens of billions of dollars in environmental and economic damage claims.  The Buzbee Law Firm attorney, Tony Buzbee, is quoted in the article.  Click here to read the full story.

Courthouse News Service published an article on The Buzbee Law Firm attorney, Tony Buzbee’s thoughts on the BP claims process. Click here to read the article.

A second lawsuit has been filed against the administrator of the Gulf Coast Claims Facility, Kenneth Feinberg.  The Donovan Law Group announced the filing on June 21, and charge Feinberg and the GCCF for “gross negligence, fraud, fraudulent inducement and unjust enrichment”.  To read the full article click here.

Today, Transocean released its internal investigation report on the Deepwater Horizon disaster, several of the companies, analysts and politicians were all prepared with responses.   Transocean places much of the blame on BP for faulty well design and poor execution, as Rep. Ed Markey called it a “circular finger-pointing contest”.  Click here to read more.