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BP Gulf Oil Spill

Motley Rice attorneys are currently litigating cases involving the Deepwater Horizon BP oil well explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. The oil well disaster spilled approximately 4.9 million gallons of oil into the water, took the lives of 11 oil workers, devastated our nation’s natural resources, and profoundly harmed both the economic and emotional well-being of hard-working people. Despite various forms of government, charitable assistance and the multi-billion dollar Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF), many people continue to face daunting personal and financial losses as a result of this environmental tragedy.

On Aug. 10, 2010, the U.S Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) issued an Order transferring all federal lawsuits arising out of the BP oil spill to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana in New Orleans in the MDL In re Oil Spill by the Oil Rig "Deepwater Horizon" in the Gulf of Mexico, on April 20, 2010. The JPML appointed U.S. District Judge Carl J. Barbier to serve as the transferee judge.

Motley Rice oil spill lawyers currently represent numerous victims of the BP oil spill whose income and potential earning capacity are suffering as a result of the BP oil spill, and we are helping individuals and businesses needing assistance filing and negotiating their GCCF claims. 

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If you have been affected by the BP oil spill and would like to consult with an oil spill lawyer regarding your rights, assistance with your GCCF claim or potential legal action, please contact Motley Rice oil spill lawyers Kevin Dean or Jodi Flowers by email or call +1 800.768.4026.

In addition to being active in the litigation and claims process surrounding the oil spill, Motley Rice attorney Kevin Dean also serves as a member of the GCCF Jurisdiction & Court Oversight Workgroup of the BP Oil Spill MDL.

BP Oil Spill Overview

On Tuesday, April 20, 2010, a deep-sea wellhead about 40 miles off of the Louisiana coast became unstable due to reservoir pressures that initiated a series of massive explosions and resulted in an oil spill that far surpassed the severity of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. According to various news sources, at least 200,000 gallons of crude oil gushed each day into the Gulf of Mexico, causing extensive environmental damage and severely affecting not only the Gulf region’s economy but also those who depend upon the coast’s tourism and the ocean’s resources for their livelihood.

BP released the oil spill results of its internal investigation on Sept.8, 2010, citing faulty cementing, a misread pressure test and an improperly maintained blowout preventer as the prime contributors to the explosion. Although BP claimed some responsibility for the disaster, it deferred the majority to its contractors. The $75 million limit on oil companies’ liability for economic damages, a stipulation of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, was challenged by the public due to the billions of dollars in damages that had already accumulated in regards to the environment, personal and commercial property and coastal wildlife. Additionally, the controversy over financial accountability was amplified by increasing concern over the long-term impact of the oil spill on the Gulf’s $2.4 billion fishing industry and $65 billion tourism industry. Originally, the financial firm BBVA Compass estimated the direct economic toll from the gulf oil spill to cap at $4.3 billion. BBVA economists now predict that the loss will be closer to $11.5 billion.

BP Oil Spill Victims

Forty percent of the commercial seafood harvest in the United States comes from the Gulf of Mexico, and thousands of people involved in the fishing industry, in addition to thousands more who live on the coast or work in its hospitality and tourism industry, continue to face economic hardships as a result of the spill.  Among those who have been dramatically affected by the BP oil spill are:

  • Casino owners and operators
  • Charter captains
  • Commercial fisherman
  • Condo and home owners
  • Fishermen/women
  • Hotel owners and operators
  • Other travel and tourism vendors
  • Property owners
  • Rental property owners
  • Restaurant owners
  • Seafood/shrimping/oyster fishers and harvesters
  • Seafood/shrimping wholesalers or retailers
  • Taxi cab drivers
  • Tropical fish wholesalers, retailers and harvesters