If it’s not bad enough that the explosion that sank the Deepwater Horizon oil rig of the coast of Louisiana may end up causing the worst ecological disaster in U.S. history, but now BP tries to pull a quick one on the very Louisiana fisherman they have already put out of work. Publicly BP has claimed to take “full responsibility” for the oil slick fouling the Gulf of Mexico but their actions speak volumes about their real intentions. BP included in the fine print of contracts it offered fishermen to help clean up the massive spill a waiver of their rights to sue BP for damages resulting from the spill!
On Sunday a Louisiana court insisted BP remove the offending language for any contracts it was offering in Louisiana and today a federal court struck the language from all contracts related to the spill. BP should be publicly called out for this underhanded attempt to limit their liability and further damage Louisiana fishermen already facing catastrophic economic losses. If BP’s offer of a onetime $5000 payment was so great, why did they try to hide the waiver language in the fine print?
Thanks, BP, but no thanks. Louisiana victims of your negligence intend to collect their full compensation for their losses. Let’s hope the federal government stands by its pledge to make BP pay for all of the damage it has caused. And while they are at it, Congress should eliminate the limits on liability that were passed in the aftermath of the Exxon Valdez in Alaska.
Richard J. Arsenault, 2011
