For those unfortunate businesses and individuals who were affected by the Gulf Coast oil spill in 2010, the government has brought in some respite. The government has cited the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 and held BP responsible for the damages that have been directly and indirectly inflicted upon these businesses and individuals. The act makes it mandatory for BP to pay for the damages filed by these individuals through various channels such as the Gulf Coast Claims Facility, BP helpline and individual lawyers.
BP has been instructed by the government to set aside a fund of $20 Billion for the claimants. BP has also been instructed to open multiple channels of communication for those seeking their Gulf Coast Claims. BP has abided by these suggestions and has designed a dedicated website, a hotline number and physical centers to address the grievances of the affected people. This has led to an influx of hundreds of thousands of complaints and claims in a very short span of time, making it possible for BP to process these Gulf Coast Claims soon. Keeping all these factors in mind, it is very important that a claimant studies the technicalities involved in suing BP for claims and designs his application accordingly. Thankfully, this task can be outsourced to experienced lawyers for a nominal fees. The Gulf Coast Claims Facility is overlooked by Kenneth Feinberg’s firm that has a notorious reputation of putting the claimants through an entangled web of red tape and paperwork.
Before hiring the services of a lawyer, you should run a background check on the lawyer and estimate his ability to obtain claims for his clients. More experienced lawyers should be able to guide you on getting your Gulf Coast Claims faster. Experienced lawyers also know the formats and the contents of an ideal application. Thus, investing a small amount in hiring a good experienced lawyer should go a long way in ensuring that you get your Gulf Coast Claims as soon as possible. Lawyers also come in handy if BP contests your claims as illegitimate. Lawyers guide you on the court procedures and use the evidences supplied by you optimally to turn the odds in your favor. Thus, if you feel that you have a genuine but weak case in favor of your Gulf Coast Claims, hiring and experienced lawyer makes sense.
After all the efforts made by BP and the government, the company has drawn a lot of criticism for not being transparent in the usage of the Gulf Coast Claims Facility that currently is holding the lump sum of $20 billion. The government has also drawn ire for hiring Kenneth Feinberg for administering and controlling the funds on behalf of both BP and the government. Mr. Feinberg’s law firm is being paid a fixed compensation by BP for executing the Gulf Coast Claims. However, information about this fees has not been divulged in the public domain and a lot of affected individuals have blamed Feinberg for operating on behalf of BP.