BP Tells Congress Drilling Moratorium Could Affect Spill Payouts

BP has warned Congress that it could have trouble funding its $20 billion oil spill compensation program if an offshore drilling moratorium is imposed. BP says a ban could affect both its restoration efforts and compensation programs, the New York Times reports. David Nagle, BP’s executive vice president for BP…

Sep 3, 2010 1:54 PM CDT

Business vs. Obama? Maybe Not

Sep 1, 2010 5:30 AM CDT

Alabama AG Sues BP Over Oil Spill, Claims Broken Promises

Alabama Attorney General Troy King has sued BP and oil rig contractors despite the governor’s opposition to a suit. Attorney General Troy King says he filed the suits because BP has broken too many promises about accepting responsibility for the Gulf oil spill, according to the Associated Press and the…

Aug 13, 2010 11:32 AM CDT

Florida Law School Group Joins Multidisciplinary Oil Spill Task Force

Students are already at work doing research this summer for a new University of Florida Levin College of Law working group looking a the legal and policy issues surrounding the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf. Eight professors and six law students are involved in the working group so…

Aug 12, 2010 10:50 PM CDT

BP Oil Spill Litigation to Be Heard by Federal Judge in New Orleans

A federal panel of judges has decided that litigation concerning the massive undersea BP PLC oil spill that began in April will be heard by a federal judge in New Orleans. The decision to direct civil cases concerning the spill to U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier is likely to please…

Aug 10, 2010 9:57 PM CDT

Chamber of Commerce Finds Common Ground with DOJ on Key Litigation

Charles Dickens opened his famous novel A Tale of Two Cities with “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” If Dickens were covering an ABA Annual Meeting program Friday that looked at where the civil division of the U.S. Justice Department stands in the eyes…

Aug 7, 2010 12:40 AM CDT

Plaintiffs Firms Form Alliance Offering Free Help to BP Compensation Fund Claimants

A group of plaintiffs law firms in the southeast have formed an Oil Spill Legal Alliance that is offering to help victims of the BP spill file claims without charge. Alliance members will be available, however, to represent oil spill victims who opt to litigate on a contingency basis or…

Aug 2, 2010 11:00 AM CDT

The Price of Oil

Lawyers see both promise and problems in the $20 billion Gulf Coast compensation fund

Aug 1, 2010 9:17 AM CDT

The Go-To Mediator

Aug 1, 2010 9:10 AM CDT

Lawyers See Both Promise and Problems in $20B Gulf Coast Compensation Fund

Note: The related CLE, “The Price of Oil,” is Wed., Aug. 18. The legal repercussions from the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico are spreading quickly. But like so many other aspects of the catastrophe, it is hard to predict where the legal battles will lead—and impossible to…

Jul 30, 2010 9:16 PM CDT

WSJ Decries ‘Mississippi Tort Mob’ and State AG’s Effort to Hit BP ‘Gusher’

The Wall Street Journal editorial page is no friend of Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood. An editorial today decries Hood’s efforts to change federal law so he can sue oil spill companies in state court. The newspaper uses recently released e-mails in Hurricane Katrina litigation to illustrate his links to…

Jul 28, 2010 2:08 PM CDT

BP Claims Chief Advises Claimants to Avoid Court, Offer Priestly Proof

The lawyer who will be overseeing a $20 billion compensation fund for Gulf oil spill victims is acknowledging that some people don’t have tax returns to prove their lost income—but he says that won’t be the death knell for a claim. Kenneth Feinberg is stumping for the compensation fund, boarding…

Jul 19, 2010 12:54 PM CDT

Appeals Court Rules Against Obama Administration on Oil Drilling Moratorium

A federal appeals court has ruled against the Obama administration in its attempt to immediately reinstate a six-month moratorium on deepwater oil drilling. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused to reinstate the moratorium while the government appeals a trial judge’s ruling that the administration had failed…

Jul 9, 2010 12:19 PM CDT

Jenner Warns Corporate Clients Harmed by Oil Spill of Impending Pollution Claim Deadline

Jenner & Block is warning its corporate clients that they may be facing a deadline to file business interruption claims related to the Gulf oil spill. According to Jenner, some insurers assert that that 5 p.m. Thursday, Eastern Time, is the deadline for filing business-interruption claims tied to pollution. The…

Jul 7, 2010 4:17 PM CDT

Sunshine State Freezes Caps

After tobacco pact, Florida ices private lawyer fees in state cases

Jul 1, 2010 8:20 AM CDT