Attorney General Bondi challenges fund for lawyers in BP oil spill lawsuit

JANUARY 13, 2012

Attorney General Pam Bondi is angry about a reserve-style fund approved for plaintiffs' lawyers involved in the massive oil spill lawsuit anchored in New Orleans.

U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier OKed a plan in late December that allows 6 percent of payments to individuals or businesses that filed non-judicial claims with the Gulf Coast Claims Facility go to a fund for the lawyers. The decision affects payments made after Dec. 31, 2011.

Bondi filed on Thursday a statement of interest on behalf of Florida, arguing the committee "has no rightful claim on these GCCF payments."

"Individuals and businesses that suffered financial losses due to the oil spill deserve to receive fair compensation as quickly as possible, and that compensation should not be reduced due to the overreaching demands of plaintiffs' lawyers who have done nothing to help them. I have asked the Court to ensure that claimants receive the full compensation that they deserve," she said in a Friday statement.

Read the full challenge here.

Posted by KatieSanders at 6:13:35 pm on January 13, 2012 in

Pam Bondi

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