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Mississippi BP Oil Spill Attorneys Say Gulf Coast Residents and Business Are Bracing for Another Economic Crisis

The Gulf Coast environment and economy are in the process of recovering from the BP oil spill disaster. Now, a new concern threatens the health and economic stability of the region. It is not as visible as oil-drenched wildlife or beaches littered with balls of tar, but the coronavirus could cause a great deal of damage in this area that had just gotten back onto its feet after the oil spill. The spread of the coronavirus across America has changed everyday life dramatically over the span of only a few weeks. The impact that the coronavirus will have on the residents of the Gulf Coast cannot yet be estimated, but many are already preparing to weather the storm.

As concerns about the coronavirus cause businesses across America to temporarily close up shop, Gulf coast residents wonder how their health and economy will survive the pandemic. Tourism is a large part of the Gulf Coast economy, and people are not traveling now. Some people are even canceling vacation reservations for later this year. Beaches are closed, and all of the fun things people do when they visit the Gulf Coast have come to a standstill, from fishing charters to casinos and even Bourbon Street in New Orleans. Hotels in the region are closed. Restaurants have either closed or are offering take out or delivery to a fraction of their usual clientele.

The health of some Gulf Coast residents is particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus, as the oil spill and the chemical dispersants that were used to clean it up left many people with chronic respiratory illnesses. The Gulf Coast is a popular place to retire, and many residents in the area are older adults. Older adults make up the segment of the population who are at higher risk of becoming severely ill or even dying if they become infected with the coronavirus. To complicate things even further, it seems as though not everyone started practicing social distancing as soon as it was recommended, and that creates further health risks for area residents. For example, beach closures in Alabama took place after larger than usual numbers of college students decided that their spring break parties must continue. Despite warnings not to travel, many of those students came to visit Alabama from neighboring states like Florida, which had closed beaches and other attractions sooner.

Gulf Coast residents recently went through all of the economic and health challenges that were brought about by the BP oil spill. Some residents are still dealing with lingering health concerns and financial setbacks. However, many Gulf Coast residents learned how to make it through tough times, so they are prepared to handle the challenges that the coronavirus is bringing their way.

Are you still recovering from the economic or health impacts of the Deepwater Horizon disaster? You are not alone. Some residents of the Gulf Coast are still waiting for their claims to be resolved. To learn more about BP oil spill litigation, call the Mississippi BP Oil Spill Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC at 1 (601) 790-1505, to arrange an initial consultation.

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Mississippi BP Oil Spill Attorneys Discuss Health Concerns Related to Deepwater Horizon Disaster

Ten years after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, it is clear that not only has the health of the environment suffered tremendously, the health of the people who live and work in the Gulf Coast area is severely impacted. Those who are experiencing long-term illnesses related to the oil spill and their doctors are saying that it’s not always the spilled oil that has caused their severe health problems. Many of the health problems doctors are seeing in Gulf Coast residents ten years after the oil spill were caused by the chemicals used to clean up the oil spill.

One woman who started to experience health problems after coming into contact with the chemical product Corexit describes a ten-years-and-counting ordeal that began with blisters on her skin. Kidney and liver complications followed the rash, and scans of her brain show abnormalities. Ten years after she was exposed to Corexit, she feels tired all of the time and doubts that she will ever feel entirely well.

This woman is not alone. Hundreds of thousands of people have experienced health issues after being exposed to Corexit and other chemical dispersants. Some of those health issues are physical, and others involve the mental health of people who were exposed to spilled oil, cleanup chemicals, and the devastating economic impact of the spill. A rise in mental health concerns in areas impacted by disasters of any type is typical. The mental health impacts felt by Gulf Coast residents following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill are similar to the mental health effect that were felt by individuals impacted by other disasters. Increased incidences of depression, anxiety, and stress, and an increase in unhealthy behaviors like increased alcohol and drug use and domestic violence have been noted int he Gulf Coast region in the years since the oil spill.

Some of the increases in mental health impacts among Gulf area residents are caused by exposure to oil. Still, researchers say that we must not underestimate the adverse effects that the economic troubles caused by the oil spill have on mental health. Income loss connected with the oil spill has been linked to an increase in the development of mental health conditions. People who worked in the Gulf’s fish and shellfish industries have developed mental health concerns at an even higher rate than others who lost income from their work in oil production, tourism, and gas production in the years since the oil spill.

The disease-causing chemicals used to clean up the oil that spilled from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig are still in use today. What’s more, their continued use is permitted by law. Health and environmental advocates want the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to remove Corexit and other chemical dispersants from the list of available solutions that can be employed in the event of an oil spill. They say that the dispersants do more harm than good, and health and environmental data that have been collected in the years since Deepwater Horizon support that conclusion.

To learn more about BP oil spill litigation, call the Mississippi BP Oil Spill Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC at 1 (601) 790-1505, to arrange an initial consultation.

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Mississippi BP Oil Spill Attorneys Say Nearly Ten Years After the Spill, Lawsuits Are Still Being Filed

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill happened almost ten years ago. The environmental, health, and economic impacts of the spill continue, ling after the disaster first occurred. Recently, a new batch of lawsuits was filed following a court ruling that excludes thousands of people from a medical settlement that was negotiated after the oil spill.

The court ruling, if allowed to stand, could create clogged court dockets and extra-long wait times for plaintiffs who say they have suffered long enough. Some Gulf area residents and oil spill cleanup and rescue workers who breathed in large amounts of toxic fumes from the oil spill suffered respiratory illnesses, and some even developed lung damage. The people whose health was damaged by the BP oil spill are becoming increasingly frustrated that they are not yet able to recover financially for the injuries they have experienced.

The medical claims were consolidated with economic and environmental lawsuits in federal court. U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier in New Orleans has been presiding over the oil spill lawsuit. He recently issued a ruling that limits access to a medical claims compensation fund created during the oil spill litigation to plaintiffs who had been diagnosed by a doctor with an oil-spill-related injury or illness before April 16, 2012. That ruling could prevent anyone diagnosed after that time from receiving for their illness or injury. Some of the individuals with later diagnoses say that the ruling is not fair because cancer and other severe health conditions caused by bp oil spill take longer to diagnose than more acute injuries and illnesses.

Illnesses like bronchitis and sinusitis have both acute and chronic forms and plaintiffs who were diagnosed after the cutoff date claim that the court’s ruling fails to account for the varied nature of illnesses and injuries caused by the spill. Some of the injured individuals are people who worked in the cleanup programs after the spill. They say they did not realize that they could get so sick from the work they were doing. The cases of plaintiffs shut out of the settlement are being transferred to federal courts according to where the plaintiffs reside. BP is defending itself against those claims, stating that it did not cause the plaintiffs’ injuries. Fortunately, long-term health research projects have been following the effects of the oil spill on Gulf residents. The results of that research from the National Institute of Environmental Health and other organizations may be helpful to plaintiffs who are trying to prove that the oil spill caused their illnesses.

The road to recovery had been fraught with roadblocks for many injured by the BP oil spill. Whether the damage was economic, health-related, or environmental, those harmed by the BP oil spill have had to fight for their recovery every step of the way. To learn more about BP oil spill litigation, call the Mississippi BP Oil Spill Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC at 1 (601) 790-1505, to arrange an initial consultation.

 

 

 

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Mississippi BP Oil Spill Attorneys Say Fragile Gulf Coast Fisheries are Vulnerable to Further Destruction

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill decimated oyster populations and other fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico. In the years since the spill, the fisheries have been slow to recover. Today, they remain vulnerable to threats from hurricanes and flooding. This year’s record flooding sent large amounts of water down the Mississippi River, through the Bonnet Carre Spillway, and into the Gulf of Mexico, where it killed off some of the most productive oyster beds. The spillway protects communities in New Orleans. The record amount of flooding this year prompted the United States Army Corps of Engineers to keep the spillway open for longer than it has ever kept it open before. During the 123 days that the spillway was open, over a trillion cubic feet of freshwater passed through the spillway and into the Mississippi Sound, which is the location of some of the Gulf’s most productive fisheries.

Oysters and other saltwater fish and shellfish cannot survive when freshwater dilutes the water where the animals live, reducing the salt content of the water below what those species need to survive. Oyster fishers are not the only ones in the industry to report losses in connection with the water that came through the spillway this year. Blue crab catches have decreased, and shrimp fishers are often unable to catch enough shrimp to cover their operating costs. It is reported that more than ninety percent of oysters in the Gulf died this year, and it’s likely that there will be no commercial oyster harvest this year in the Gulf because of that.

Fisheries are not the only part of the Gulf ecosystem to be harmed by the waters that poured through the spillway earlier this year. Many dolphins and sea turtles perished, and many Mississippi beaches were closed for most of the summer because of algae blooms. The ecosystem of the Gulf Coast had been recovering slowly after the oil spill, but hurricanes and floodwaters continue to push fragile species into a crisis state. The economic impact of the oil spill left fisheries in the Gulf badly damaged, and those fishers who were able to return to harvesting seafood in the region are now again facing the possibility that they won’t be able to make a living fishing.

Some of the projects that have been given funding from the Deepwater Horizon settlement involve Gulf fisheries. For example, plans are underway to develop an oyster hatchery and research facility at the University of Southern Mississippi as part of the state’s oyster restoration efforts. Off-bottom oyster farming also came to the Gulf this year, but the farmers lost their oysters to the floodwaters. Many of the beaches that were closed this summer because of algae blooms are the subject of projects approved as part of the oil spill settlement.

Extreme flooding on the Mississippi River has had negative impacts downstream in the Gulf of Mexico, where fisheries, beaches, and marine life have been struggling to recover from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. To learn more about BP oil spill litigation, call the Mississippi BP Oil Spill Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC at 1 (601) 790-1505, to arrange an initial consultation.

 

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Mississippi BP Oil Spill Attorneys Say Projects Have Been Selected for Oil Spill Settlement Funds

The settlement that was reached in the matter of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill provides the state of Mississippi with millions of dollars that it can use to fund a variety of efforts to restore the devastated environment and economy of the Gulf region. A Mississippi board recently recommended that more than twelve projects receive funding from the settlement in 2020.

One of the recommended projects involves creating a new Ocean Enterprise Center at the University of Southern Mississippi. The focus of the enterprise center would be the development and advancement of maritime engineering and technology. The Gulfport- Biloxi airport could also receive funding for expansion so that it can better serve the needs of businesses and visitors in the area.

The two projects mentioned above are just a part of what’s going to happen in the Gulf area in 2020. Last year, several other projects received over thirty-seven million dollars worth of funding. Those projects include the creation of new wetlands with materials dredged from coastal waters, road construction projects, worker training initiatives, and a marketing effort for Mississippi seafood.

Additional funds will be made available  to the state in years to come, with an eventual estimated total of around seven hundred and fifty million dollars. Projects like the ones that were funded last year and the ones that will receive their funding soon are steps in the direction of restoring the Gulf Coast’s environment and economy. Recovery after the Deepwater Horizon disaster has been slow, but the area is healing. Some areas are recovering faster than others. For example, the beaches are no longer covered in oil, but contamination persists in areas of deep water offshore, causing continued harm to the ocean ecosystem. Wetlands continue to erode after the plants that held them together died as a result of the contamination. Deceased biodiversity continues to affect fisheries and wildlife populations throughout the area.

Fortunately, the danger of additional oil spills in the area could decrease as public interest in offshore oil and gas exploration wanes. The results of a public opinion poll indicate that eight out of ten Americans would either want the amount of drilling to decrease or to remain at its current level. For a region that is still hurting from the wounds of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the prospect of reduced drilling is a reason for the hope that the recovery of the Gulf’s economy and the environment will continue to move forward. Interestingly enough, the government is considering expansion of drilling, both offshore and in the western United States, despite an apparent lack of public support and amidst public concerns that the risk of additional oil spill disasters is not worth the oil and gas that would be produced by the expansion.

To learn more about past and present BP oil spill litigation, call the Mississippi BP Oil Spill Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC at 1 (601) 790-1505, to arrange an initial consultation.

 

 

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Mississippi BP Oil Spill Attorneys Discuss Continued Danger to Gulf from Offshore Drilling

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill devastated the environment and economy in the Gulf Coast area and beyond. People whose lives were affected by the spill are moving forward, many of them with help from settlement claims they filed after the disaster struck. Everyone hopes that a catastrophe of that magnitude will never happen again. Unfortunately, it seems as though the risk of another Gulf Coast oil spill disaster looms larger than many people realize.

An environmental advocacy group recently filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, claiming that the government is allowing offshore oil drillers to avoid following rules that require extensive safety testing of their equipment. The rules were put in place during the Obama administration, with the Well Control Rule, which was enacted in 2016.

The Deepwater Horizon explosion was traced back to a faulty blowout preventer, a safety device that is intended to stop unintended releases of oil or natural gas. The blowout preventer had not been inspected since 2005, and it was damaged, but not replaced, following a near-blowout incident before the 2010 disaster. The Well Control Rule aims to avoid another disaster like Deepwater Horizon, and it contains requirements for the testing, design, and maintenance of blowout preventers.

However, the Well Control Rule can only protect the Gulf if its provisions are enforced. The lawsuit filed by Democracy Forward on behalf of Healthy Gulf against the United States Department of the Interior claims that the director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement amended the provisions of the Well Control Rule unlawfully and in secret. The amended rule allows offshore drilling companies to request waivers that enable them to be exempt from some of the provisions of the Well Control Rule.

To date,  over one thousand five hundred waivers have been granted. Approximately a third of those waivers allowed companies to forego testing of their blowout preventers before putting them into use. That adds up to many rigs that are not in compliance with the safety testing rules that are intended to prevent another disaster like Deepwater Horizon. The process for granting waivers has not been made available to the public. Because of that, companies with less than stellar safety records may be expanding their operations without thoroughly testing their equipment. It is also possible that waivers are being given to companies that would not have resources to pay for the damages they would owe if they were to cause a release of oil or a massive oil spill.

The Gulf region is slowly recovering from the disastrous effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The health of the economy and the environment in the Gulf region is precarious. Another oil spill in the area could undo all of the healing and repair that has taken place. To learn more about past and present BP oil spill litigation, call the Mississippi BP Oil Spill Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC at 1 (601) 790-1505, to arrange an initial consultation.

 

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Mississippi BP Oil Spill Attorneys Talk About Taxes on Settlement Money

After the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, the environment and the economy of the Gulf Coast were in ruins. Fortunately, a claims process got set up that enabled people whose lives were impacted by the oil spill to seek compensation for the damages that they experienced. People filed claims for economic losses sustained by their businesses, property damage from the oil spill, and illnesses and injuries that they suffered as the result of the oil spill. Eventually, BP reached a settlement with those who had brought claims, and the settlement monies got distributed to the people who had filed the claims.

Unfortunately, the story does not end there. Claimants did not merely receive funds that they could use to help themselves recover from the unique damages that each of them suffered as the result of the oil spill. Many claimants found that they were expected to send part of their settlement money to the IRS. Some settlement monies, whether from an oil spill settlement, or some other type of claim for damages, are indeed taxable. Not all settlement monies are taxable, in fact, most personal injury settlements and verdicts are exempt from state and federal taxes.

Some people who were pursuing claims realized in advance that their settlement monies would get taxed, so they planned and took actions that resulted in them paying the least amount of tax possible on their settlement funds, including taking action to ensure that their settlement money did not land them in a higher tax bracket. Unfortunately, many people did not know that they would get taxed or that planning ahead was the only way to avoid negative tax consequences associated with settlement proceeds.

If you have not yet settled a claim for damages, look into whether or not the proceeds of your settlement will get taxed. If you find that the settlement that you are pursuing is taxable, avoid getting placed in a higher tax bracket by choosing to get your funds paid to you over time instead of in one, large lump sum. Many people choose the lump sum option because they want all of their money and they want it now, but because of taxes, those who choose that option lose a lot of that money to taxes.

Spreading out the tax liability for your settlement money over time is a perfectly acceptable method of dealing with the taxes on your settlement money. Individuals who are pursuing a settlement who want to use that method can set up their deferred compensation plan with a settlement planner so that the settlement plan meets all applicable state and federal requirements. Just as pursuing settlement of a claim produces better results when you have an attorney represent you than if you do it on your own, receiving settlement funds through deferred compensation is not something that it is advisable to attempt without the aid of an experienced professional.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Supporting BP Oil Spill Plaintiffs

Economic and environmental health is beginning to return to the Gulf Coast region thanks in part to proceeds from the oil spill settlement. However, many plaintiffs are dismayed to learn that there could be tax consequences of their settlements. If you are in the process of settling your claim, make sure you get all the facts about taxation as it applies to your settlement. To learn more about the BP oil spill litigation, call the Mississippi BP Oil Spill Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC at 1 (601) 790-1505, to arrange an initial consultation.

 

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Mississippi BP Oil Spill Attorneys Say Housing Market is Recovering Nicely After Hurricane Katrina and the BP Oil Spill

It’s finally a seller’s market for real estate owners with homes and land in Southern Mississippi. Buyers are selecting plum properties quickly, and many sellers can get close to their asking prices. The average sale price for homes has increased by five percent in the past year.

Sellers are not the only ones who are having a good time of it with real estate on the Gulf Coast right now. Buyers are reaping the benefits of interest rates that are close to historically low levels. Rates are rising, but the increase has been slow. New construction is currently favored over remodeled or remodeled existing construction, as buyers have shown a tendency to want to customize their homes to reflect trends like the open floor plan, granite counter tops, double vanities, and other things that they see on popular home design television shows.

Homes on dry lots can command a premium price, as can homes in good subdivisions that are located in sought-after school districts. New subdivisions are not getting built quickly enough to meet the demand, so some buyers are choosing to go for existing homes rather than wait a while for a new home to get constructed. Also, depending upon the area where a home buyer is looking to purchase a house, existing homes can offer significant savings. For example, there are strict code requirements in South Mississippi, so existing buildings are cheaper to buy than new ones.

The way that people are finding their new homes is changing, too. Social media has dramatically increased the amount of “for sale by owner” properties, and real estate agents are using social media to link buyers and sellers with each other and with the real estate professionals who can help them make the arrangements for the purchases and sales of the properties.

Gulf Coast home prices have been on a roller coaster ride years for years, since Hurricane Katrina damaged many homes and businesses, sending shock waves through the real estate market. The market eventually bottomed out after the devastation caused by the BP oil spill and the subsequent economic recession. Home prices on the Gulf Coast have been climbing steadily since 2011, and the housing market seems to have stabilized which is great news for both buyers and sellers.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Supporting Individuals and Businesses Affected by the BP Oil Spill

The BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill caused enormous amounts of environmental and property damage along with widespread economic damage all over the Gulf Coast region. Homeowners and others who own real estate on the Gulf Coast can finally breathe a sigh of relief as the values of their homes and land have stabilized, and the entire Gulf Coast is experiencing environmental restoration and economic revitalization. If you have questions regarding the BP oil spill, call the Mississippi BP Oil Spill Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC at 1 (601) 790-1505, to arrange an initial consultation.

 

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Mississippi BP Oil Spill Attorneys Discuss Damage to Marine Life

The 2010 Deepwater Horizon had a devastating impact on the Gulf Coast economy as well as on marine life in the Gulf of Mexico. In the years since the spill, researchers have studied the plants and animals in the Gulf of Mexico closely to assess the full impact of the massive oil spill. The oil spill released over a hundred million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Oil is traditionally measured in barrels, but when you translate barrels into gallons, it is much easier for everyone to understand just how much oil that is. The oil covered over forty thousand square miles of the water’s surface and contaminated over one thousand three hundred miles of shoreline.

Thousands of sea turtles and marine mammals died from the oil spill and those animals that did not die faced the challenge of living in a polluted habitat that extended from the surface down to the ocean floor. Some individuals have been able to survive, but the impact on the populations of many species is devastating. Researchers who study marine life estimate that populations of some species could remain below pre-spill numbers for decades, even as habitat restoration projects get completed.

Thousands of the species of marine life that live in the Gulf of Mexico were protected species before the oil spill, meaning that their numbers were already of concern. The spill put those species at even greater risk for extinction. The animals that researchers have studied during their efforts to understand how the spill affected wildlife experienced a variety of means of exposure to the oil and the substance that were used to clean up the oil including ingestion, topical exposure, inhalation, and consumption of oil that was on the foods that they ate. These exposures caused many negative health effects like organ failure, respiratory failure, and reproductive failure.

Some of the more highly visible species have given researchers insight into how the spill is affecting them. For example, the population of bottlenose dolphins in Barataria Bay, Louisiana appears to have been reduced by half. The population of bottlenose dolphins in the Mississippi Sound decreased even more dramatically, with a current population that is sixty-two percent smaller than it was before the oil spill. Populations of endangered sea turtles like the Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle have experienced similar declines.

Research findings like these findings factored into the almost nine billion dollar allocation for natural resource damage that got included in the twenty billion dollar BP Oil Spill settlement that got approved by a U.S. federal judge last year. The funds that are designated for addressing natural resource damage are beginning to get used for a variety of habitat restoration projects in the Gulf Coast area.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Supporting Those Damaged by the BP Oil Spill

The BP oil spill caused enormous amounts of environmental damage and widespread economic damage throughout the Gulf Coast region. The twenty billion dollar BP Oil Spill settlement is beginning to be put to use in environmental and economic restoration projects throughout the region. If you have questions about the BP oil spill litigation, call the Mississippi BP Oil Spill Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC at 1 (601) 790-1505, to arrange an initial consultation.

 

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Mississippi BP Oil Spill Attorneys Talk About Attorneys’ Fees

Litigation in large-scale litigation like that which followed the BP oil spill takes a lot of time and effort. Cases that big require the work of many attorneys, support staff, paralegals, and other professionals. The BP Oil Spill case is one of the largest, if not the largest, multi-district litigation (MDL) cases in history. When a case like the oil spill litigation comes to a close, the court decides how to pay the attorneys. In the case of the BP oil spill, two law firms in New Orleans and Lafayette will each get nearly eighty-eight million dollars under a proposed division of a total of six hundred and eighty million dollars’ worth of class-action attorney fees.

The litigation that followed the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster was lengthy and complicated. It involved a two-phase trial, and between the trial, the expert testimony, and the settlement negotiations, the case took several years. It dealt with diverse subject matter, and various types of claims, including individual economic damages claims, medical claims, and state government claims. It is estimated that the number of individual claims that went into the lawsuit exceeds one hundred and thirty thousand. It took a committee of six plaintiffs’ attorneys twelve days to review billing requests from all of the law firms that worked on the case and create a recommendation for the court as to what the fee award should be.

The attorneys’ fees are a part of the settlement, and BP, Transocean, and Halliburton are each paying for a portion of the fees. BP will pay the most, over five hundred and fifty million dollars. The other two companies will each pay approximately one hundred and twenty-four million dollars each. In addition to the two firms mentioned earlier, two other firms, one from Alabama and one from New York will each get over forty million dollars. Many, many attorneys and staff spent many hours on the oil spill litigation. It is estimated that all in all, nearly five hundred and twenty thousand hours’ worth of work. About two dozen New Orleans law firms will share nearly two hundred and fifty million dollars’ worth of the total award of fees.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Supporting Mississippi Residents Affected by the BP Oil Spill

The BP oil spill litigation was complex and far-reaching. Many parties participated in the litigation and received settlement of their claims. The attorneys who worked on the oil spill litigation spent a lot of time working to resolve the claims that individuals and businesses filed regarding the damages that they experienced as the result of the spill. Now that BP, Transocean, and Halliburton are paying for the damage that their actions caused, they are paying the attorneys’ fees as well. If you want to learn more about the BP oil spill litigation, call the Mississippi BP Oil Spill Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC at 1 (601) 790-1505, to set up a free, initial consultation.

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