Massive Oil Spill in the Gulf - Lawsuits Filed
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A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of Gulf residents and businesses impacted by the devastating oil spill caused by the Deepwater Horizon explosion.
On April 20, 2010, an explosion and fire occurred on the Deepwater Horizon, a massive oil rig owned by Swiss-based Transocean Ltd. and leased to UK-based BP PLC.
The lawsuit was filed by Lanier Law Firm lawyers Mark Lanier and Dana Taschner. According to the lawsuit, BP PLC, Transocean Ltd., Cameron International Corporation and Halliburton Energy Services violated the Oil Pollution Act and were negligent in failing to properly operate, inspect, and maintain the Deepwater Horizon rig. The lawsuit also alleges that the defendants inadequately responded to the explosion and resulting oil leak, causing severe damage to the fragile ecosystem in the Gulf of Mexico.
The companies initially reported that the well was leaking 1,000 barrels per day, but news reports and an inspection by President Obama suggest the oil spill is leaking as much as 100,000 barrels per day.
Message From Barrack Obama
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Yesterday, I visited Caminada Bay in Grand Isle, Louisiana -- one of the first places to feel the devastation wrought by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. While I was here, at Camerdelle's Live Bait shop, I met with a group of local residents and small business owners.
Folks like Floyd Lasseigne, a fourth-generation oyster fisherman. This is the time of year when he ordinarily earns a lot of his income. But his oyster bed has likely been destroyed by the spill.
Terry Vegas had a similar story. He quit the 8th grade to become a shrimper with his grandfather. Ever since, he's earned his living during shrimping season -- working long, grueling days so that he could earn enough money to support himself year-round. But today, the waters where he has worked are closed. And every day, as the spill worsens, he loses hope that he will be able to return to the life he built.
Here, this spill has not just damaged livelihoods. It has upended whole communities. And the fury people feel is not just about the money they have lost. It is about the wrenching recognition that this time their lives may never be the same.
BP Oil Spill Timeline - News & Events
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September 19, 2010: A final pressure test determines that the leak is permanently closed.
September 16, 2010: A relief bore drilled to a depth of 2.5 miles below the ocean’s surface reaches the spewing oil and a cement plug is pumped in the next day.
August 10, 2010: The United States Panel on Multidistrict Litigation issued an order which stated that the geographic location for the BP litigation will be in the Eastern District of Louisiana.
August 6, 2010: An agreement between BP Exploration and Production Inc. and Citigroup took place. Released by the Whitehouse, the agreement contains BP’s commitment to begin a fund worth approximately $20 billion to assist victims of the oil spill. Under this agreement, the damage claims that will be covered include claims resolved and settled by the Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF), amounts owed by the Grantor pursuant to final judgments or settlement agreements that are resolved outside of the GCCF process and relate to the Oil Spill, natural resource damage costs (including assessment costs) pertaining to the Oil Spill ("NRD Claims"), and state and local government response costs pertaining to the Oil Spill ("Government Response Costs"). According to Citigroup, the agreement calls for BP Exploration & Production, Inc to make contributions toward a total fund of $20 billion.
August 4: BP conducts their static kill procedure which forces oil back down into the reservoir. The U.S. Government also announced that 75% of the oil in the Gulf of Mexico has been captured, burned off or dispersed.
August 2, 2010: According to FedStats, the U.S. governments data tracker, 4.9-million barrels of oil leaked before the well was capped in mid-July. Many news stations have suggested that BP underestimated the cost of the oil spill by at least $1 billion.
- According to the Associated Press, "BP had estimated the well had leaked some 4-million barrels and that it would be fined US$1,100 per barrel under the Clean Water Act. The company faces fines of US$4,300 per barrel if gross negligence is proven."
July 27, 2010: BP names American Bob Dudley as its next CEO, following current CEO Tony Howard, who will resign on October 1, 2010. In addition, BP has reported a loss of close to $17 billion after covering the cost of the explosion.
July 23, 2010: Due to Tropical Storm Bonnie, BP says it is temporarily suspending relief well activities.
July 21, 2010: New York Times reports: A confidential survey of workers on the Deepwater Horizon in the weeks before the oil rig exploded showed that many of them were concerned about safety practices and feared reprisals if they reported mistakes or other problems. In the survey, commissioned by the rig’s owner, Transocean, workers said that company plans were not carried out properly and that they “often saw unsafe behaviors on the rig.” Some workers also voiced concerns about poor equipment reliability, “which they believed was as a result of drilling priorities taking precedence over planned maintenance,” according to the survey, one of two Transocean reports obtained by The New York Times.
Read more about Report on Oil Rig Safety Concerns
May 23: Louisiana coast's battle against drifting oil expected to last months, if not years. 'Top kill' to stop Gulf of Mexico oil spill may be delayed; Coast Guard admiral expects 'constant activity' by BP. State officials say they won't wait for approval to build sand barriers.
Read more about efforts to stop the oil spill.
May 22: State closes southwestern portion of Barataria Bay to all fishing. Deepwater Horizon oil spill revealed an industry ill-prepared to deal with 'black swan' event.
Read more about oil spill impact of Louisiana Fishing industry.
May 21: Grand Isle closes beaches due to oil on shore.
Read more about the oil spill beach closure.
May 20: BP concedes more oil spilling into Gulf than originally estimated. Feds order BP to put all Gulf oil spill data on Internet. A month after explosion, oil from Gulf of Mexico spill washes ashore in populated areas.
May 19: BP's estimate of volume of Gulf of Mexico oil leak is dramatically low, Purdue expert says. BP may make first attempt to seal Gulf oil well Sunday or Monday. Costly, time-consuming test of cement linings in Deepwater Horizon rig was omitted, spokesman says.
May 18: 19 percent of Gulf fishing shut down because of oil spill. Gulf of Mexico oil spill 'increasingly likely' to enter Loop Current, travel to Florida Keys. Several Louisiana wells shut down as a precautionary measure because of Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
May 17: Insertion tube draining 1,000 barrels per day. 8 investigations underway into Gulf of Mexico rig explosion and oil spill. Tar balls found off Key West, Fla., Coast Guard reports.
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