The Daily Collegian
Gulf claims chief enacts no-sue rule
Oil spill victims who
receive compensation
funds cannot sue BP.
By Harry R. Weber
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
NEW ORLEANS The new
administrator for damage claims
from Gulf oil spill victims said
Sunday it was his idea, not BP’s, to
require that anyone who receives
a final settlement from the $2O bil
lion compensation fund give up
the right to sue the oil giant.
But Ken Feinberg told reporters
that he has not yet decided
whether the no-sue requirement
will extend to other companies
that may be responsible for the
worst offshore oil spill in U.S. his
tory.
He insisted that payouts from
the claims facility he will run will
be more generous than those from
any court.
Feinberg also ran the govern
ment compensation fund created
after the 9/11 attacks, and there
was a similar no-sue provision.
“It is not in your interest to tie
up you and the courts in years of
uncertain protracted litigation
when there is an alternative that
has been created,” Feinberg said.
He added, “I take the position, if
I don’t find you eligible, no court
will find you eligible.”
Any individual or business that
receives a short-term emergency
payment “one to six months” from
the oil spill claims facility that
launches Monday will still be able
to sue BP
Hundreds of lawsuits have
already been filed by spill victims.
Feinberg said BR which had
been handling claims up until this
point, has paid out roughly $375
million in claims since the April 20
rig explosion on the Gulf of Mexico
that killed 11 workers and spewed
206 million gallons of oil from BP’s
runaway undersea well.
The latest guidelines for the vic
tims compensation fund say the
nearer you are geographically to
the oil spill and the more closely
you depend on the Gulf of
Mexico’s natural resources, the
better chance you have of getting
a share of the money.
NATION
If I don’t find you
eligible, no court will
find you eligible.”
Ken Feinberg
Gulf Coast damage claims chief
Feinberg said that the most
“problematic” claims will be from
people who work in the tourism
business, especially hotels.
“I’m going to have to draw some
tough lines,” Feinberg said.
The new claims facility run by
Feinberg will take over from BP
the processing of claims by indi
viduals and businesses.
If a person filed a claim with BP
that has not been resolved yet,
they must file a new claim form
with Feinberg, but any supporting
documentation they previously
submitted will be automatically
forwarded.
If a person received money
from BR they can get up to six
additional months of compensa
tion from the new claims facility.
If they got nothing from BR they
can refile their claim with the new
Alex Btancion Associated Press
Gulf Coast damage claims chief Ken Feinberg testifies on Capitol Hill July 22.
facility and have it reviewed again. A temporary cap placed on the
Feinberg, who was picked by runaway well in mid-July has kept
President Barack Obama to oper- any more oil from spewing. The
ate the oil spill fund, said that in final sealing of the well should
the next few weeks he would take place after Labor Day.
release details on how much he is Engineers are preparing to first
being paid for his work. He remove the failed blowout preven
declined a request by an ter "a key piece of evidence” and
Associated Press reporter on replace it with another one.
Sunday to declare how much he After that, they will complete
has been paid to date. the drilling of a relief well.
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