After waging a two-year battle over the interpretation of the settlement in the BP oil spill case, the US Supreme Court rejected BP’s appeal.
The Times-Picayune reports that since the settlement was not overturned, businesses affected by the 2010 oil spill do not need to prove direct harm to claim damages. BP had been arguing that the terms of the settlement did not allow for compensation for businesses that were only indirectly hurt by the oil spill.
With the Supreme Court affirming lower court rulings, the BP oil spill settlement, which was initially estimated to be $7.8 billion, could now end up being $9.7 billion or more.
Suffering Because of the BP Oil Spill?
Colson Hicks Eidson was a part of the Plaintiff Steering Committee (PSC) that was formed following the Deepwater Horizon OilRig explosion on April 2010 that led to the BP oil spill. The PSC was crucial in securing the original $7.8 billion settlement for the victims of the spill, which is serving as the basis for the now estimated $9.7 billion settlement.
Colson Hicks Eidson – Injury Attorneys
Source: www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2014/12/us_supreme_court_rejects_bps_o.html