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. 

President Obama stated, “We are dealing with a massive and potentially unprecedented environmental disaster.”  The President stated, “The oil that is still leaking from the well can seriously damage the economy and environment for our Gulf states, and it could extend for a long time...It could jeopardize the livelihoods of thousands of Americans who call this place home.”

Our law firm is representing more than 100 fisherman and many businesses impacted by this crisis. We have met with many clients, fisherman, shrimp farmers and oyster farmers. On the same day that the President met with fisherman and inspected the region from overhead, we met with concerned fisherman, families, and other businesses and residents.  We agree with President Obama that BP, the giant oil conglomerate that leased the doomed rig Deepwater Horizon that exploded April 20, should be held accountable for the cleanup and paying for the economic impact to the region’s fishing industry.

According to the recently filed lawsuit, the defendants "impaired the response to the emergency, greatly increasing the danger to the environment, human health, and the Gulf Coast economy, by knowingly understating the amount of oil that was leaking from the well." The lawsuit also alleges that the oil spill "has formed a vast expanse of thick, poisonous sludge, contaminating an area larger than the state of Rhode Island. The oil slick will continue to expand until the ruptured pipe is shut off, a process that could take weeks or months."