Letters: Before the BP Fund

Mar 1, 2011 6:05 AM CST

BP Uses Public Comment Process to Criticize Its Lawyer Overseeing Gulf Payouts

BP isn’t happy with the settlements being offered by Kenneth Feinberg, the lawyer it hired to oversee its $20 billion compensation fund for Gulf oil victims. But it’s indicating its disapproval in a public comment process rather than a private directive. Some critics have argued Feinberg’s proposed settlements are too…

Feb 17, 2011 2:59 PM CST

Judge Holds Interior Department in Contempt for ‘Dismissive Conduct’

A federal judge in New Orleans has held the Interior Department in civil contempt for its “dismissive conduct” after he struck down its moratorium on deepwater oil drilling. U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman said that after his initial decision enjoining Interior’s moratorium, the department implemented a new drilling ban that…

Feb 4, 2011 5:02 PM CST

Feinberg Can’t Claim Neutrality or Tell Claimants They Don’t Need Lawyers, Judge Rules

Ken Feinberg can’t refer to himself as neutral and independent of BP as he oversees the company’s $20 billion fund to compensate victims of the Gulf oil spill, a federal judge has ruled. Nor can he tell claimants they don’t need lawyers, U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier of New Orleans…

Feb 3, 2011 2:53 PM CST

Master of Disasters: Is Ken Feinberg Changing the Course of Mass Tort Resolution?

Has Kenneth Feinberg become such a brand unto himself—at once unique and ubiquitous as the nation’s problem solver—that a truck running over him would end forever the Feinberg Way for mass-dispute resolution? Is he sui generis? Answers vary. Feinberg’s own suffices for the moment. He seems surprised when asked, which…

Jan 1, 2011 11:00 AM CST

Despite Hi-Tech Safety Equipment, Lack of Training Aided Oil Rig Disaster, NY Times Reports

After the Deepwater Horizon blew up in an inferno of flames in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, many assumed the fire on the drilling rig was an inevitable result of the oil spilling out of the undersea well that its crew had mistakenly failed to seal. But in…

Dec 28, 2010 1:04 PM CST

US Sues BP and 8 Other Entities Over Gulf Oil Spill, Seeking Cleanup Costs and Penalties

As civil and criminal investigations continue to determine responsibility for the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that began April 20, the U.S. Department of Justice has sued BP Exploration and Production Inc. and eight other defendants. Its suit, filed in federal court in New Orleans, contends that…

Dec 15, 2010 11:16 PM CST

Halliburton Cement Used in BP Well Failed Three Tests, Panel Leader Says

A presidential commission investigating the Gulf oil spill has found that Halliburton provided a concrete mixture to seal the BP oil well that had failed three out of four laboratory tests. Lead investigator Fred Bartlit Jr. said the mixture was used despite the multiple failures, according to the New York…

Oct 29, 2010 1:32 PM CDT

BP Corner-Cutting Led to Gulf Oil Disaster, Says Ex-EPA Lawyer; PBS Program Tonight Details Claims

A “corrupt culture” at BP concerning the oil giant’s compliance with safety regulations is responsible for the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill earlier this year, a retired Environmental Protection Agency attorney claims in an article related to a documentary to be aired tonight on PBS’ Frontline. Attorney Jeanne Pascal…

Oct 26, 2010 10:58 PM CDT

BP Payout Effects: Shrimpers Stay Home, Bar Fights Break Out

BP payouts are changing life on the Gulf Coast, but the effects aren’t all for the better. Flush with cash or anticipating big payouts, some fisherman are opting to stay home rather than work, the Washington Post reports. In Plaquemines Parish, La., disputes between those who received compensation and those…

Oct 20, 2010 1:31 PM CDT

15 Lawyers Get Lead Roles in Oil Spill Litigation; David Boies Isn’t One of Them

The lawyer who successfully challenged California’s gay-marriage ban and represented Al Gore in the famous Bush v. Gore case encountered a setback in a new quest on Friday. David Boies failed to win appointment to a 15-member steering committee to oversee Gulf oil spill litigation, Reuters reports. Other “heavyweights” who…

Oct 12, 2010 12:40 PM CDT

Feinberg Firm Gets a Reasonable $850K a Month to Oversee $20B Oil Spill Fund, Report Says

A lawyer and his firm are being paid a reasonable $850,000 per month to oversee the administration of a $20 billion fund set up by BP PLC to compensate victims of its Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Kenneth Feinberg of Feinberg Rozen asked former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey of…

Oct 8, 2010 7:07 PM CDT

Law Giving BP Cleanup Responsibility Created ‘Cognitive Dissonance,’ Admiral Says

The admiral in charge of overseeing the response to the BP oil spill says federal laws that put the company in charge of the cleanup created a perceived conflict between the company’s duties to the public and to its shareholders. Speaking in New Orleans last week at a meeting of…

Oct 5, 2010 4:35 PM CDT

Feinberg Rethinks BP Claims Process, Now Sees Valuable Role for Lawyers

The lawyer overseeing the $20 billion BP fund to compensate oil-spill victims is acknowledging he was overly optimistic when he said individual claims would be acted on within 48 hours. Claims administrator Kenneth Feinberg promised to improve the process during a Gulf Coast visit this week, according to the New…

Sep 16, 2010 12:48 PM CDT

BP Blames ‘Multiple Companies’ in New Report on Gulf Oil Disaster

A BP report blames decisions by “multiple companies and work teams” for the Gulf oil disaster. “No single factor caused the Macondo well tragedy,” the company says in a statement published by the Wall Street Journal. “Rather, a sequence of failures involving a number of different parties led to the…

Sep 8, 2010 11:31 AM CDT