The Deepwater Horizon oil spill (also referred to as the BP oil spill, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the BP oil disaster or the Macondo blowout) is an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which flowed for three months in 2010. The spill stemmed from a sea-floor oil gusher that resulted from the April 20, 2010 Deepwater Horizon Explosion. The explosion killed 11 men working on the platform and injured 17 others. On July 15, the leak was stopped after it had released about 4.9 million barrels, or 205.8 million gallons of crude oil. It was estimated that 53,000 barrels per day were escaping from the well just before it was capped. It is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry. The impact of the spill still continues even after the well was capped.
Shortly after the Deepwater Horizon explosion, BP Oil established a $20 billion dollar “claims fund” designed to compensate those affected by the oil spill. Thereafter, BP Oil began to accept and administer claims for property damage and lost business profits caused by the spill. In June of 2010, the Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF) was established as part of an agreement between the Obama Administration and BP Oil to assist claimants in filing claims for costs and damages incurred as a result of the oil spill stemming from the Deepwater Horizon Incident of April 20, 2010.
On August 23, 2010, it was announced that the “Gulf Coast Claims Facility” (GCCF), headed by Kenneth Feinberg, would begin to process all claims for payment. All individual and business claims and supporting documentation have been transferred from BP to the GCCF, which is intended to be an “independent” facility run by Mr. Feinberg.
Claims Process
The claims process established by GCCF is tedious, difficult, and confusing. GCCF has denied far more legitimate claims than it has paid with little or no explanation for the denial. Claimants have received little to no effective assistance from GCCF through the claims process. Richard J. McKyton, P.A. has formulated a claims response “model” that includes expert analysis specifically addressing the environmental and economic impact of the oil spill on the citizens and small businesses of the State of Florida. Independent forensic accounting will be utilized to substantiate a specific and legitimate dollar value for all claims.
Remedies
The BP oil Disaster has affected, on some level, almost every business in the state of Florida. Through the GCCF, BP Oil must pay for all damages that were caused by the April disaster. Should BP and the GCCF not pay legitimate damage claims, there is a process that will, ultimately, allow citizens and small businesses to pursue their claims through the court system.
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