Houston Maritime Lawyer Rejects BP's Claim That Victims' Awards are Too Generous
Houston maritime attorney Jason Itkin today blasted the recent claim by BP that the Gulf Coast Claims Facility has been too generous in determining final payments for victims of the BP Deepwater Horizon Gulf oil spill.
“We recognize the obligation of any corporate entity to protect its own financial interests, but this would be laughable if it wasn’t so callous,” said Itkin, a founding partner of Arnold & Itkin LLP. “BP is further damaging its reputation by taking this stand against the people of the Gulf region who have been deeply wounded by this disaster.”
Itkin and partner Kurt Arnold are acknowledged experts in maritime law and the BP Deepwater Horizon spill , having shared their insights about the incident with national and local media in the aftermath of the disaster, including National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered,” CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360,” the Houston Chronicle and Houston’s ABC television affiliate, among others.
BP recently posted a document to the Gulf Coast Claims Facility website claiming that the Facility’s administrator, Kenneth Feinberg, has artificially inflated future expected losses for victims of the spill, according to the Associated Press (and as noted here).
The government forced BP to set up the $20 billion fund in the wake of the April 20, 2010, BP Deepwater Horizon disaster. Feinberg was installed as administrator of the fund with no guidelines for determining claims. He has come under fire for being too slow to make payments and for paying too little to those awarded payments.
BP’s claims were made February 16, the last day of the public comment period that Feinberg had initiated.
“Every study of this disaster has shown that BP made poor decisions that led to the loss of the oil rig and the contamination of the Gulf,” Itkin said. “Now they show the same attitude of indifference, if not hostility, to the many individuals and business who continue to suffer because of BP’s neglect of safety and propriety in their offshore operations.”
If you have questions about a possible maritime injury claim, for a free consultation call the maritime accident lawyers at Arnold & Itkin LLP toll free at (877) 632-8168, or contact us online. Our maritime injury attorneys can advise you on all aspects of maritime law, including the Jones Act, the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, the principle of maintenance and cure and the Death on the High Seas Act.
The attorneys at Arnold & Itkin LLP are skilled maritime accident trial lawyers and aggressive offshore injury attorneys for injured shipyard workers. We represent maritime victims in accident, injury and wrongful death claims. Our law firm secured more than $100 million in verdicts or settlements for our clients in 2009.
