BP Quietly Prepared for Legal Fight in First Days of Gulf Oil Spill
David Sessions
Washington Reporter
Posted:
07/5/10
While it publicly touted its expert cleanup response in the first days of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, BP quietly prepared for the legal battles it would likely face, McClatchy reports. The oil giant hired experts expected to work for potential plaintiffs, assembled top-notch legal teams, and presented volunteers, fishermen and other workers with waivers, hoping they would sign away some of their rights to sue.
In Florida, BP hired Akerman Senterfitt, the state's largest law firm and a major player in the state capital. When President Obama met with the company's executives last month, BP was represented by Jamie Gorelick, who was deputy attorney general under Bill Clinton.
Robert J. McKee, a Florida attorney, attempted to hire a scientist to work on an environmental lawsuit in Ecuador only to find that he had already gone to work for BP -- five days after the spill. "It was too late. He'd already been hired by the other side," McKee said. "If you aren't fast enough, you get beat to the punch."
In the first days after the explosion at the drilling rig and subsequent spill, BP included a liability waiver in paperwork it handed out to fishermen and prospective workers that stripped them of some of their rights to legal recourse in the case of injury, illness or property damage. Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum, along with other officials, warned citizens against signing the waivers.
While it was feverishly taking such steps, BP was publicly downplaying the scale of the disaster, repeatedly giving low estimates of the amount of oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico.
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has hired attorney Steve Yerrid, who was part of the "dream team" that won the state a landmark $11.3 billion in a suit against tobacco companies, to provide Florida with legal advice. So far about 250 lawsuits have been filed against BP, and a number of counties and communities are hiring lawyers. Judging by the aftermath of past spills, BP's legal battles could last a decade.
In Florida, BP hired Akerman Senterfitt, the state's largest law firm and a major player in the state capital. When President Obama met with the company's executives last month, BP was represented by Jamie Gorelick, who was deputy attorney general under Bill Clinton.
Robert J. McKee, a Florida attorney, attempted to hire a scientist to work on an environmental lawsuit in Ecuador only to find that he had already gone to work for BP -- five days after the spill. "It was too late. He'd already been hired by the other side," McKee said. "If you aren't fast enough, you get beat to the punch."In the first days after the explosion at the drilling rig and subsequent spill, BP included a liability waiver in paperwork it handed out to fishermen and prospective workers that stripped them of some of their rights to legal recourse in the case of injury, illness or property damage. Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum, along with other officials, warned citizens against signing the waivers.
While it was feverishly taking such steps, BP was publicly downplaying the scale of the disaster, repeatedly giving low estimates of the amount of oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico.
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has hired attorney Steve Yerrid, who was part of the "dream team" that won the state a landmark $11.3 billion in a suit against tobacco companies, to provide Florida with legal advice. So far about 250 lawsuits have been filed against BP, and a number of counties and communities are hiring lawyers. Judging by the aftermath of past spills, BP's legal battles could last a decade.