NU Online News Service, Aug. 23, 1:12 p.m. EDT
Plaintiffs' lawyers criticized the Gulf oil spill claims facility, stating that the rules for emergency payments through the facility limit the future liability of companies deemed responsible for the disaster.
Gibson Vance, president of the American Association for Justice (AAJ), said the final protocols for emergency payments under the Gulf Coast Claims Facility may require waiving future rights to hold corporations other than BP accountable, even if they bear responsibility for this disaster.
"As we look forward to the final protocols, we hope this is not the case. Victims of the oil disaster deserve their full rights under the current law," Mr. Vance said.
The GCCF is a $20 billion fund, set up by British Petroleum and administered by Kenneth Feinberg, to compensate victims of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, which occurred after an explosion at the Deepwater Horizon oil rig.
Mr. Vance said plaintiff lawyers and the AAJ will be monitoring the claims facility as it moves forward, as the civil justice system will be essential in ensuring residents and businesses can receive justice and hold BP and other corporations accountable.
"Despite the urgency of the economic situation, haste cannot be to the detriment of justice," he said.
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