Thread: What's worse that oil washing up on shore? Lawyers!

It looks as though they were invited.

Legal resolution of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill easily could take a decade, as thousands of commercial fishermen, seafood workers, motel operators and resort-home owners line up along the Gulf Coast demanding compensation for lost wages and damages, according to lawyers vying for a piece of the lawsuit action.

I have to wonder why you think it is OK for a person's livelihood to be destroyed by a company like BP and he should just suck it up. The purpose of tort law is to make the injured party whole by the party who has caused the injury.

Originally Posted by Sunshine

I have to wonder why you think it is OK for a person's livelihood to be destroyed by a company like BP and he should just suck it up.

I have wonder why you think I think that, given that I never said any such thing. Could you, just once, try reading what I write and responding to my actual position, rather than inventing retarded positions and pretending I had posted them?

Originally Posted by Sunshine

The purpose of tort law is to make the injured party whole by the party who has caused the injury.

Well, duh. Thanks every so much for that brilliant insight.

:rolleyes:

Since we've already had one comprehension problem, let me be very clear:

BP should pay all the economic damages arising from this spill, including but not limited to cleanup costs and lost business income and repair / replacement costs for lost or damages property.

I have never, ever advocated anything else, comprehension limited readers notwithstanding.

By the way, if one takes the amazing step of actually reading the article, one can discover that there are mechanisms in place to recover damages that don't require paying an attorney:

People who suffer losses because of the spill have several options under federal law for seeking compensation, including at least two that don't require a lawyer.

The federal Oil Pollution Act of 1990 — passed after the Exxon Valdez oil spill splattered the Alaskan coastline — requires anyone seeking damages to contact the company or companies responsible for a spill to request compensation for a spill-related loss. Under that law, a civil lawsuit for damages cannot be filed until the person or business with such a claim goes through that process.

Direct compensation is also available through the $1.6 billion National Pollution Fund as well as the Florida Coastal Protections Trust Fund. In such cases, people claiming losses must provide documentation of prior earnings as part of showing how the spill damaged their income.

Originally Posted by MattInFla

I have wonder why you think I think that, given that I never said any such thing. Could you, just once, try reading what I write and responding to my actual position, rather than inventing retarded positions and pretending I had posted them?



Well, duh. Thanks every so much for that brilliant insight.

:rolleyes:

Perhaps it was the tone of your post. I most assuredly DID read it. And there is nothing that requires a person to forgo hiring a lawyer when he has been wronged.

Perhaps you should state what your opinion is instead of posting oblique insinuations for others to interpret.

Whatever, Sunshine. Thanks for the reminder why I avoid replying to your posts.

Have a very nice day.

Originally Posted by MattInFla

Oil spill disaster: Lawyers flood into Florida: oil spill hasn't hit yet. - OrlandoSentinel.com

As if we don't have enough problems headed our way.....

Matt

Cover a few hundred of them with oil and set them on fire?

Think of it as doing the country a service.

Originally Posted by 9aces

Cover a few hundred of them with oil and set them on fire?

Think of it as doing the country a service.

Now why would you want to do that to someone as nice as OSB?

Suspect there is a potential for an absolute gold mine here for the ambitious law firms. Particularly the larger ones that are practiced at class action suits. But am thinking the big money for them (the lawyers) will not come from remedial compensation for the plaintiffs. That may/will end up being a notable amount and the lawyers will get paid their fees but that ain't the pot of gold.

The big payday for the lawyers will (potentially) come from the "punitive awards". And that will depend on establishing negligence and/or criminal misconduct on the part of British Petroleum. If they can make that happen/stick then the awards really get into the RFB ("really fucking big") amounts and the law firms get to walk away with 30-40% of that RFB dollar number. Maybe billions in revenue for the firm.

As i recall, when the Union Carbide disaster happened in Bhopal India a number of years ago, the volume of US lawyers in jets that descended on the city was compared to swarms of locust....:rolleyes:



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Originally Posted by Balance

Suspect there is a potential for an absolute gold mine here for the ambitious law firms. Particularly the larger ones that are practiced at class action suits. But am thinking the big money for them (the lawyers) will not come from remedial compensation for the plaintiffs. That may/will end up being a notable amount and the lawyers will get paid their fees but that ain't the pot of gold.

The big payday for the lawyers will (potentially) come from the "punitive awards". And that will depend on establishing negligence and/or criminal misconduct on the part of British Petroleum. If they can make that happen/stick then the awards really get into the RFB ("really fucking big") amounts and the law firms get to walk away with 30-40% of that RFB dollar number. Maybe billions in revenue for the firm.

As i recall, when the Union Carbide disaster happened in Bhopal India a number of years ago, the volume of US lawyers in jets that descended on the city was compared to swarms of locust....:rolleyes:



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I hate class action suits! The only people that make out are the attorneys, not those who have been wronged.

Originally Posted by Sunshine

Now why would you want to do that to someone as nice as OSB?

Entertainment value?

Originally Posted by 9aces

Entertainment value?

Bite your tongue!!! It wouldn't be entertaining to watch my Irishman burn!!!!

Originally Posted by Mrs. M

Bite your tongue!!! It wouldn't be entertaining to watch my Irishman burn!!!!

Marshmallows or Smores? Nobody can be mad with a good toasted marshmallow or freshly done Smores.