As someone who is working with Gulf residents every day to see to it that they receive compensation for the harm caused by the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, I was disheartened to see that the Trump administration is now loosening many of the protections put in place by the Obama administration.  Politics aside, I think we can all agree that had BP’s operation been adequately regulated, there is a significant chance that the 2010 Gulf spill could have been avoided. The people physically, emotionally, and financially devastated by that spill still have not been adequately compensated for their damages, so it seems wildly premature to already be loosening the regulations aimed at protecting us all from future spills.

Do you have a health condition arising from your contact with the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill? Did you participate in the cleanup effort or come into contact with dispersants? You may be entitled to a portion of settlement funds. If you think your health condition entitles you to some of the BP Deepwater Horizon settlement, having experienced counsel help you attain your fair share is critical. Barrett Law has expertise in BP Oil Spill litigation and has the experience to help you through this process.  Contact us now at (601) 790-1505.

New Regulations Loosen Oversight of Gulf Oil Industry

Many of the safety regulations put in place by the Obama administration as a result of the BP Oil Spill are set to be undone by the Trump administration, which has declared them, “unnecessary regulatory burdens.”  The change in rules was announced in May and is at the request of the oil industry.

The list of the Trump administration’s proposed changes should be chilling to anyone who remembers the day nine years ago when the Deepwater Horizon platform blowout preventer failed, leading to a catastrophic failure of the platform, the deaths of 11 platform employees, and injuries to countless others. To be changed are rules relating to more precise operating requirements for offshore crews in tracking pressure in underwater wells, more real-time monitoring by oil companies, and more rigorous inspections of blowout preventers on the offshore facilities. I am disheartened by this proposed change and believe that it demonstrates that the oil industry has too secure a grip on Washington D.C.

What Should You Do If You Were Injured or Harmed By the 2010 BP Oil Spill

Regardless of the current state of politics, you deserve compensation for harms you suffered as a result of the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.  If you were injured or developed a health condition as a result of the spill or its cleanup, you are due compensation for your medical costs, loss of work, and ongoing pain and suffering. You may have heard that it is too late to file a claim or that there is no longer a way to attain compensation for your damages. You may also be able to submit a new application if your earlier attempts were unsuccessful. Don’t let rumors and misleading information get in the way of attaining compensation—the exclusive way to fully understand your options is to hire an attorney with extensive experience in getting BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill claims paid.

Call Barrett Law now, an experienced Mississippi BP Oil Spill law firm, to represent you if you were harmed as a result of the Spill. Barrett Law has the experience to take on defense attorneys that are focused on denying your compensation for the harm you experienced.  Contact us now at (601) 790-1505.

As everyone in the Gulf region is aware, there have been many settlements of BP Oil Spill cases. Do not let anyone tell you that you have missed your chance to receive your fair share of compensation for oil spill damage or cleanup work.  There is still no end in sight to litigation and compensation for many of those affected by the spill. Some of you may remember professional basketball player David West, who played for the then-New Orleans Hornets in the NBA. West claimed that his career suffered and that his pay diminished after the BP Oil Spill. The courts agreed, and he was awarded $1.5 million to compensate him.  That amount has been recently overturned, but I wanted to write a blog post about it to highlight the fact that there remain many creative cases regarding the oil spill, some of which will result in significant compensation.

Do you have a health condition arising from your contact with the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill? Did you participate in the cleanup effort or come into contact with dispersants? You may be entitled to a portion of settlement funds. If you think your health condition entitles you to some of the BP Deepwater Horizon settlement, having experienced counsel help you attain your fair share is critical. Barrett Law has expertise in BP Oil Spill litigation and has the experience to help you through this process.  Contact us now at (601) 790-1505.

Background on the West Case

West played for the New Orleans Hornets in 2010.  As you likely remember the Hornets played in New Orleans beginning in the 2002-03 season and then moved temporarily to Oklahoma City in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.  West’s continued to play for the Hornets after they returned to New Orleans, only to see his pay decrease significantly in the years after the BP Oil Spill. As a result, he filed a claim with the BP Oil Spill Claims Administrator, who applied the BP Oil Settlement’s test for compensation to West’s case and awarded him $1.5 million. Now, there is no indication that West’s decline in contract pay had anything to do with the spill whatsoever—in fact, he agreed to a contract with diminishing pay before the spill—but that was found to be irrelevant by the Claims Administrator. Unfortunately for West, the courts recently overruled this payment. The rationale for the appeals court’s decision was that the loss in income due to a Spill victim must be “unexpected.”  West’s contract’s decrease was agreed to prior to the Spill and, as a result, was not due compensation from the Settlement Fund.

What Should You Do If You Were Injured or Harmed By the 2010 BP Oil Spill?

If you were injured or developed one of the above health conditions as a result of the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill or its cleanup, you are due compensation for your medical costs, loss of work, and ongoing pain and suffering. You may have heard that it is too late to file a claim or that there is no longer a way to attain compensation for your damages. You may also be able to submit a new application if your earlier attempts were unsuccessful. Don’t let rumors and misleading information get in the way of attaining compensation—the exclusive way to fully understand your options is to hire an attorney with extensive experience in getting BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill claims paid.

Call Barrett Law now, an experienced Mississippi BP Oil Spill law firm, to represent you if you were harmed as a result of the Spill. Experienced Mississippi BP Oil Spill Attorney Jonathan Barrett has the experience to take on defense attorneys that are focused on denying your compensation for the harm you experienced.  Contact us now at (601) 790-1505.

While there has been a settlement in many of the BP Oil Spill cases, there is still no end in sight to litigation and compensation for those affected by the spill.  The first question people ask me when we start discussing Spill settlements is, “what is the process for getting paid for the harm my family and I have suffered?” To answer this question, and the many others that stem from it, I wrote the following blog.

Were you affected by the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill? Did you participate in the cleanup effort or come into contact with dispersants? Those activities may entitle you to a portion of settlement funds. If you think you are entitled to some of the BP Deepwater Horizon settlement, having experienced counsel help you attain your fair share is critical. Barrett Law has expertise in Gulf oil spill litigation and has the experience to help you through this process.  Contact us now at (601) 790-1505.

BP is Not Done Paying Out Oil Spill-Related Claims

If the BP Oil Spill injured you or caused you physical, emotional, or economic damages, you are due financial compensation for those injuries. BP and its subsidiaries settled their case with the federal government and Gulf states, agreeing to pay for removal of oil from the Gulf, treatment of medical issues arising from the spill and its cleanup, business profit lost due to oil in the Gulf environment, and other damages. To attain your fair share of compensation, you will need the help of an experienced oil spill attorney and will need to follow the following steps.

Step One—Your first step is to submit evidence of a medical condition, business loss, or any other damages to the claim fund’s administrator.  This submission must contain all evidence supporting your case, damages, and reasons that you deserve compensation now. I have done this sort of submission for clients and can help you determine what needs to be submitted.

Step Two—Submit a notice of intent to sue.  This submission triggers your inclusion as a plaintiff in the legal claims against BP and its subsidiaries. Again, can prepare this document for you.

Step Three—Decide whether you would like to engage in mediation or not.  Mediation is the opportunity for the parties in a lawsuit to sit down and try to settle claims without going to court.  You are under no obligation to mediate your case, but you must decide whether or not this is an option you will elect to try. I can help provide you with the pros and cons to mediation and will help you regardless of your decision.

Step Four—You may have to request a “notice of review” if the claim administrator denied your initial claim.

What Should You Do If You Were Injured or Harmed By the 2010 BP Oil Spill?

If you were harmed as a result of the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill or its cleanup, you are due compensation for your losses. You may have heard that it is too late to file a claim or that there is no longer a way to attain compensation for your damages. You may also be able to submit a new application if your earlier attempts were unsuccessful. Don’t let rumors and misleading information get in the way of attaining compensation—the exclusive way to fully understand your options is to hire an attorney with extensive experience in getting BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill claims paid.

Call Barrett Law now, an experienced Mississippi BP Oil Spill law firm, to represent you if you were harmed as a result of the Spill. Barrett Law has the experience to take on defense attorneys that are focused on denying your compensation for the harm you experienced.  Contact us now at (601) 790-1505.

People here in Mississippi that were harmed by the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill often come to me with the same refrain, “there’s no more money to distribute,” or “BP has already paid all the money it’s going to pay.” I always try to disabuse people of these notions, as there is still more money to pay for damages to those whom BP harmed. A great example of this is the fact that BP recently gave the government of Mexico—not the fishermen, not the citizens—$25 million related to the BP oil spill. That money appears to me to be in trade for continuing to remain silent regarding the spill and its effects on Mexican fisheries and people.

Were you affected by the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill? Did you participate in the cleanup effort or come into contact with dispersants? Did you rent out your boat to those participating in the cleanup effort? Any of those activities may entitle you to a portion of settlement funds. If you think you are entitled to some of the BP Deepwater Horizon settlement, having experienced counsel help you attain your fair share is critical. Barrett Law has expertise in Gulf oil spill litigation and has the experience to help you through this process.  Contact us now at (601) 790-1505.

Mexico Receives 2018 Payment

As is common knowledge at this point, BP has agreed to pay more than $60 billion in the United States for its actions that resulted in the Deepwater Horizon spill and its aftermath.  Now, over eight years later, Mexico settled with BP for $25.5 million. This settlement comes in trade for Mexico dropping its lawsuit against BP, but must be seen in a broader context. BP has also entered into multiple multi-million dollar deals with the Mexican government recently and settling their case likely played in Mexico’s favor to attain these deals.

As in the U.S, the big question surrounding the Mexican settlement is whether any of the funds in question will reach those affected and harmed by the spill. 10,000 Mexican fisherman are still suing BP for the physical and economic harm they suffered as a result of the spill. It appears that the Mexican government ignored scientific evidence that could have been used to bolster its legal case against BP.

I am confident that all of this seems very familiar to those suffering in Mississippi and other Gulf states. The point of this blog post is not to go too in-depth regarding Mexico’s secretive settlement with BP, it is to underscore that if BP was able to come up with $25.5 million along with other multi-million dollar investments, they likely have the funds available to fully compensate folks here in the U.S. that continue to suffer as a result of their recklessness connected to the Deepwater Horizon spill and its aftermath.

What Should You Do If You Were Injured or Harmed By the 2010 BP Oil Spill?

If you were harmed as a result of the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill or its cleanup, you might be due compensation for your losses. You may have heard that it is too late to file a claim or that there is no longer a way to attain compensation for your damages. The only way to understand your options is to hire an attorney with extensive experience in getting BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill claims paid.

Call Barrett Law now, an experienced Mississippi BP Oil Spill law firm, to represent you if you were harmed as a result of the Spill. Barrett Law has the experience to take on oil spill defense attorneys that are focused on denying your compensation for the harm you experienced.  Contact us now at (601) 790-1505.

I recently came across a case that folks here in Mississippi will find interesting. Here is a quick summary. Two oil spill cleanup workers filed claims under the BP Deepwater Horizon settlement. Due to an error made by the courthouse, they did not receive any notice that there were minor deficiencies in the manner in which their cases were filed. As a result, the courthouse rejected their filings but did not provide their attorneys with notice of that rejection, causing them to miss an important filing deadline.  BP moved to have their cases dismissed because they were not filed in time. The court rejected BP’s argument and allowed the cases to proceed.  I have provided a link to the case, FABIO CONCEPCION, v. BP EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION, INC., ET AL., below.

Were you affected by the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill? Did you participate in the cleanup effort or come into contact with dispersants? Did you rent out your boat to those participating in the cleanup effort? Any of those activities may entitle you to a portion of settlement funds. If you think you are entitled to some of the BP Deepwater Horizon settlement, having experienced counsel help you attain your fair share is critical. Barrett Law has expertise in Gulf oil spill litigation and has the experience to help you through this process.  Contact us now at (601) 790-1505.

Lesson: BP Will Punish You for Mistakes, Even Minor Ones

Fabio Concepcion and Mickey Joseph Thiboudaux were named plaintiffs in a BP Oil Spill class action suit. Both had worked on the cleanup. They agreed to the terms outlined in the 2013 Settlement, which allows class members to later bring a lawsuit against BP if new injuries or illnesses came to light. But before a class member such as Concepcion or Thibodaux could exercise his rights, he would have to submit a legal notice of his intent to exercise his rights in a Notice of Intent.

According to the Settlement, class members had to give BP 10 days’ notice in their Notice of Intent before filing suit. Once the Notice of Intent was filed, BP would have 30 days to decide whether or not to pursue mediation. If BP chose not to mediate, class members would have up to six months to file a lawsuit.

Concepcion and Thiboudaux seemed to do everything right.  They filed complaints and received notice of BP’s decision not to mediate on May 9, 2017. This provided the men with six months to decide whether to sue, which they opted to do. Both men filed with the court within the deadline; however, the court clerk indicated that the men’s complaints needed to be refiled as individual lawsuits instead of one claim and rejected them.

The problem was that Concepcion’s and Thiboudaux’s counsel never received this information regarding rejection from the court.  As a result, both men missed the six-month deadline. BP denied coverage, and the men appealed BP’s denial. The good news is that the court reviewed the cases and determined the men’s cases could proceed, even though the men missed the six-month deadline by three days.

What Should You Do If You Were Injured or Harmed By the 2010 BP Oil Spill?

If you were harmed as a result of the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill or its cleanup, you might be due compensation for your losses. You may have heard that it is too late to file a claim or that there is no longer a way to attain compensation for your damages. The only way to understand your options is to hire an attorney with extensive experience in getting BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill claims paid.

Call Barrett Law now, an experienced Mississippi BP Oil Spill law firm, to represent you if you were harmed as a result of the spill.  Barrett Law has the experience to take on oil spill defense attorneys that are focused on denying your compensation for the harm you experienced.  Contact us now at (601) 790-1505.