oil spill did more than cause economic and physical hardship to many
along the Gulf Coast, it now has a culture from 300 civil lawsuits in at
least 12 states, something that takes a legal primer to comprehend.
This primer is written on behalf of the defense, as the tone from a press
release suggests. But here's the scoop from BP legal eagles on the
matter of the Gulf Oil spill's response in this whole different way.
Oil giant BP is said to be positioning itself to move from a crisis response in the Gulf to a response in the courtroom.
BP
has dedicated billions of dollars to an escrow account in an effort to
settle legitimate lawsuits rather than have them litigated in court,
according to a recent company press release involved with its legal
support.
has dedicated billions of dollars to an escrow account in an effort to
settle legitimate lawsuits rather than have them litigated in court,
according to a recent company press release involved with its legal
support.
Jackson attorney Jeff Reynolds, who recently had a guest editorial published in The Clarion-Ledger, Mississippi's
biggest newspaper, said he does not foresee litigation concerning the
Deepwater Horizon explosion persisting as it did with the Exxon Valdez
spill.
biggest newspaper, said he does not foresee litigation concerning the
Deepwater Horizon explosion persisting as it did with the Exxon Valdez
spill.
"BP has already demonstrated a willingness to compensate legitimate claim holders by contributing $20 billion to an escrow account and entrusting the fund's facilitation to an independent third party," Reynolds wrote.
Reynolds
discussed the high-stakes decision as to the location of the court
where the unsettled federal lawsuits would be consolidated for all
pre-trial and discovery proceedings: "It always seemed likely to be New Orleans, despite defense attorneys' desire for Houston."
discussed the high-stakes decision as to the location of the court
where the unsettled federal lawsuits would be consolidated for all
pre-trial and discovery proceedings: "It always seemed likely to be New Orleans, despite defense attorneys' desire for Houston."
True to Mr. Reynolds' prediction in his The Clarion-Ledger piece, the MDL panel issued its Order on August 10, 2010, transferring all cases to the Eastern District of Louisiana to be heard by Judge Carl Barbier. This Order consolidates all of the civil lawsuits surrounding the Gulf spill for coordinated pretrial proceedings.
Reynolds is a litigator in Jackson
and has represented oil and gas companies including BP, ExxonMobil,
Murphy Oil, and others in many different types of lawsuits. Reynolds has
appeared on television news in California and is a regular guest on Mississippi talk radio discussing the ongoing litigation that arose from the Deepwater Horizon explosion.
and has represented oil and gas companies including BP, ExxonMobil,
Murphy Oil, and others in many different types of lawsuits. Reynolds has
appeared on television news in California and is a regular guest on Mississippi talk radio discussing the ongoing litigation that arose from the Deepwater Horizon explosion.
