Plaintiff ‘titan’ files civil racketeering class action against rival PI lawyer in BP oil spill case

Both Danny Becnel and Mikal Watts are personal injury titans representing plaintiff fishermen in litigation against BP over the 2009 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. But now the two top personal injury lawyers are squaring off against each other: Becnel, a Louisiana lawyer, filed a class action suit against Watts in…

Jan 8, 2014 10:30 PM CST

BP accuses lawyer of representing phantom clients in oil spill

BP is accusing a Texas lawyer of “brazen fraud” in his representation of thousands of Gulf oil spill clients who turned out to be “phantoms.” In a lawsuit (PDF) filed on Tuesday, BP says Mikal Watts claimed to represent more than 40,000 deckhands, representing nearly 80 percent of the projected…

Dec 18, 2013 1:48 PM CST

In a victory for BP, 5th Circuit tells judge to re-evaluate oil-spill payout formula

BP’s complaints that undeserving claimants were winning oil-spill payouts will get a new look as a result of a federal appeals court ruling. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday ordered a lower court judge to reconsider the formula used to measure potential economic loss suffered…

Oct 4, 2013 11:20 AM CDT

How many barrels of oil were spilled in BP’s Gulf well? Judge must decide

The federal judge presiding overseeing the civil bench trial concerning the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is now faced with a problem almost as daunting as the cleanup: He must decide how much crude oil flowed into the sea during the 86 days before the well was…

Jun 28, 2013 7:42 PM CDT

Judge nixes attorney fees for lawyer in oil spill case, says client’s signature on doc was forged

Saying that he believes a plaintiff’s signature on a legal representation document concerning the Gulf of Mexico oil spill was forged, a federal judge in New Orleans nixed attorney fees for a Texas lawyer. Attorney Brent Coon had sought a 25 percent share of an undisclosed settlement his claimed client,…

Apr 5, 2013 5:25 PM CDT

With billions at issue, trial begins to apportion fault for oil spill among BP, its subcontractors

A federal judge in New Orleans began hearing opening statements Monday in a trial to determine how to apportion blame between BP Plc and its subcontractors for the massive oil spill that began April 20, 2010 with a blowout of an undersea well after the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded…

Feb 25, 2013 6:16 PM CST

Judge approves Transocean’s guilty plea in Gulf oil spill

A federal judge in Houston has approved a plea agreement with Transocean, the Swiss-based owner and operator of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, for its role in the 2010 oil well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico that left 11 workers dead and resulted in a yearlong moratorium on deepwater…

Feb 15, 2013 10:05 PM CST

Judge OKs BP plea deal despite objections; pollution case looms

A federal judge on Tuesday approved a plea deal in which BP agreed to pay $4 billion to resolve criminal charges over the Gulf oil spill. U.S District Judge Sarah Vance of New Orleans approved the deal on Tuesday despite emotional testimony and letters from several dozen people who objected…

Jan 30, 2013 4:48 PM CST

Transocean to Pay $1.4B to Resolve DOJ Criminal Probe, Other Federal Claims re Gulf Oil Spill

The company that owned the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig and safety equipment involved in the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill nearly three years ago has agreed to pay $1.4 billion to settle federal claims over the fatal environmental disaster. Transocean Ltd. will plead guilty to violating the Clean Water…

Jan 3, 2013 10:52 PM CST

It’s Not Just Money Fears Blocking Access to Legal Help; Lawyer Distrust Is Growing

Dec 1, 2012 8:20 AM CST

Misinterpreted Pressure Readings Cited in Manslaughter Indictment Against Two BP Supervisors

Two BP supervisors have been charged with manslaughter in the Gulf oil disaster in an indictment that accuses them of misinterpreting pressure readings just before the blowout that killed 11 workers. The United States on Thursday announced charges of involuntary manslaughter and seaman’s manslaughter against Donald Vidrine and Robert Kaluza,…

Nov 16, 2012 12:40 PM CST

BP Says It Will Pay $4.5B to Resolve Federal Criminal and Securities Allegations

Updated and corrected: BP has announced it will pay $4.5 billion to resolve federal criminal and securities allegations in connection with the Gulf oil spill. The company will pay $4 billion over five years in a settlement with the U.S. Justice Department and $525 million over three years to resolve…

Nov 15, 2012 4:38 PM CST

BP Said to Be Near Federal Plea Deal with Record Criminal Penalty

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is reportedly set to announce a plea deal with BP that will include a record criminal penalty for its actions in the Gulf oil spill. A source tells Reuters the penalty will top the record amount of $1.3 billion paid in 2009 by Pfizer Inc.…

Nov 15, 2012 12:43 PM CST

Biloxi Blues: Legal-Cost Fears Have Victims of the Oil Spill Sliding out of the Middle Class

Nov 1, 2012 10:08 AM CDT

Probe: Narrow BP Focus on Worker Safety Missed Big-Picture Issues Resulting in Massive Gulf Spill

Focused on worker safety, BP failed to anticipate adequately big-picture risks that led to the 2010 explosion and fire in its Gulf of Mexico oil rig that killed 11 people and resulted in a massive petroleum spill, members of a federal investigatory panel said Tuesday. Preliminary findings by the U.S.…

Jul 24, 2012 10:57 PM CDT