Gulf Coast Attorneys File RICO Class Action Lawsuits Against BP

[kpete]

Source: Huffington Post

Gulf Coast Attorneys File RICO Class Action Lawsuits Against BP

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brendan-demelle
Gulf Coast law firms Levin Papantonio, Eastland Law and others have begun filing a series of civil RICO actions in Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama to hold BP accountable for the false assurances it gave the American people that it could handle a worst-case scenario deepwater oil spill. The suits allege that BP committed mail fraud, wire fraud and potentially other RICO predicate act violations when the company sought permits from the federal government for deepwater offshore drilling, knowing that it did not possess the technical expertise or equipment necessary to respond to an emergency such as the ongoing Deepwater disaster.

This is the only RICO claim out of the more than 200 lawsuits filed so far against BP - and that doesn't even count claims against Transocean, Halliburton and other associated defendants. All the other legal cases filed so far against BP are based on negligence associated with the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion, violations of various environmental statutes, and other legal angles.

By choosing the RICO approach, the Gulf Coast attorneys hope to provide an avenue for all Americans impacted by the disaster to stand up to the oil companies and prosecute them in civil court for their unlawful conduct.

The RICO suits allege that BP and its CEO Tony Hayward engaged in a pattern of fraudulent misrepresentations when the company asserted in its regional oil spill and exploration oil spill emergency response plans that it had the equipment and technology to respond to a deepwater accident. BP claimed in some of the plans that it had the capacity and expertise to respond to a spill of as much as 250,000 barrels per day.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brendan-demelle/gulf-coast-attorneys-file_b_623608.html

[CountAllVotes]

1. normally I loathe attorneys

but in this case, :thumbsup: Gulf Coast Attorneys! May the force be with you in bringing justice to America and forcing the downfall of the criminals at BP.

FUCK YOU BP!

:kick: & recommend.

[Hosnon]

6. Why do you normally loathe attorneys? nt.

[CountAllVotes]

7. don't care to go into it

but I will add that I have run into far more crooked ones that ones that are fair and honest. :dunce:

[Hosnon]

8. Seems like a reason to loathe those particular attorneys, not attorneys in general.

Anecdotal evidence being what it is.

[izquierdista]

13. My anecdotes are like his

From my sampling, most attorneys are scum and a few are honorable people.

[Hosnon]

14. We all have anecdotal evidence of lots of things.

But it remains a poor source of knowledge.

[Joe Chi Minh]

19. On the contrary. People believe in ghosts on that basis, but they're wiser by far

on that score, than the half-witted, materialist, scientismificist poseurs.

[skepticscott]

20. Well, tell us what useful and universal knowledge

your wise and noble supernaturalists have contributed to humanity over the last century. I'll do the same for us poor, stupid scientific poseurs. Guess whose list will be longer? Miles longer...

[Joe Chi Minh]

33. You've got it back to front. Your worst nightmare has already begun.

Scientists are coming up against a wall of paradoxes, through which, a priori, they can't penetrate, and, as for example with the Big Bang, atheists are finding that where ever they go, theists have been there for thousands of years, and have been patiently waiting for you uniquely foolish atheists to turn up.

Why don't you get a blind watch-mender to give the BP people some clue as to how to about patch up the ocean floor? Be ironic if your hireling scientists end up destroying the planet, won't it?

Einstein knew a thing or two. You know what he said on the subject, don't you: "Technological progress is like an axe in the hands of a pathological criminal." He was warning of the danger of corporatism in the forties.

[skepticscott]

34. Not only did you avoid my direct challenge

(what a shock), but you managed to get pretty much everything in what you DID say wrong (after, it appears. taking a long time to think about how to duck and dodge).

Scientists are coming up against a wall of paradoxes, through which, a priori, they can't penetrate, and, as for example with the Big Bang, atheists are finding that where ever they go, theists have been there for thousands of years, and have been patiently waiting for you uniquely foolish atheists to turn up.

So why don't you give us 5 or 6 examples of these alleged "paradoxes" (Sorry, but the Big Bang doesn't even come close to qualifying)? If there are a "wall" of them, that should be easy, but I'm already steeling myself for more evasion on your part. And while you're at it, tell us why you stuck the "a priori" qualifier in there, since you apparently don't even know what it means to your so-called argument. And back to my original question...what did theists "discover" thousands of years ago that is of any value and that non-theists have never been able to grasp? Are you going to back up your claim with anything other than blather, or will you lapse back to your usual intellectual dishonesty?

Why don't you get a blind watch-mender to give the BP people some clue as to how to about patch up the ocean floor? Be ironic if your hireling scientists end up destroying the planet, won't it?

Einstein knew a thing or two. You know what he said on the subject, don't you: "Technological progress is like an axe in the hands of a pathological criminal." He was warning of the danger of corporatism in the forties.

You either don't grasp the elementary and fundamental difference between objective knowledge and its use, or you're being deliberately obtuse and hoping everyone around you is even more clueless than you are. Knowledge gained through science is simply a tool, and like any tool it can be used for constructive or destructive purposes. An axe can build a home or split a skull, and while science can tell you how to make a better axehead, it doesn't tell the person holding it which use is better (and has never claimed to be able to). Religion DOES claim (laughably) to improve societal morality, but despite thousands of years of "useful discoveries" along those lines, it still fails miserably, according to your own argument. Not to mention that the sighted watchmaker that you kneel like a fool to seems to be impotent about the whole thing. It's just a teensy little hole, so why doesn't He/She/It plug it? It's not like a bazillion people aren't praying for it.

[Name removed]

35. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

38. Wait, what, this thread is about atheism now?

Next you'll be mentioning the evil atheists in World Cup threads. :eyes:

[Patchuli]

24. I spent years working for attorneys

and I agree that the decent ones are few and far between. I had one asshat boss tell me "I'd sue my own grandmother if I could get some money out it!" and he thought he was pretty funny and clever saying so.

However, Mike Papantonio is an honorable and fierce fighter for justice! They do exist...

*edit for spelling

[Hosnon]

25. I see. You apparently define "good attorney" as one

who is wealthy enough to not need to earn a living. Justice is the hopeful by-product of the legal profession. But without the ability for an attorney to make a living, justice is a pipe dream.

And I'm sure your old boss was not being serious.

[breadandwine]

26. RICO implies that the entity being sued is fundamentally a criminal enterprise

colluding for illegal purposes: A criminal CONSPIRACY.

Like the Mafia.

Of course, no one would DARE file a RICO suit charging a fundamentally criminal enterprise against the

[wordpix]

2. can I sign on as a plaintiff? I was given false assurances---that goes for AK, too, where BP is

drilling from its manmade "island."

[CountAllVotes]

3. file claims here:

http://www.bp.com/claims

Best of luck and GO FOR IT!

:kick:

[wordpix]

4. ahahaha, racketeers, that's exactly what they are, the criminals

:grr:

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. Hot damn !!!!!

THIS I will be watching closely.

[dixiegrrrrl]

9. Umm...it is worth reading the whole thing, lots of implications in this.

Love this sentence:
"it's past time to get action, if not get medieval on BP's unlawful conduct"

But wait ! There's more. ALL drilling outfits may become defendants:
"there are hefty implications for all the major oil companies engaged in offshore drilling, some or all of which might be added as defendants in these RICO suits. "

Each law firm involved in the suit has up to date information at their websites.

[cdsilv]

11. Levin is the Pensacola attorney who was one of those who won the tobacco litigation.....

...he's a real shark, and a genuine good guy.

[dixiegrrrrl]

15. Glad to hear he is a shark. Very glad.

[DeSwiss]

10. K&R!

And MMS (or Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement as they're calling themselves now) should be included as an unindicted co-conspirator.

[FailureToCommunicate]

12. Papantonio has been detailing this on various progressive talk shows. We wish them luck!

[indepat]

16. Oops! If only the wall street banksters and fraudsters could be RICOed

as if cannons had been shot up their proverbial asses. :shrug:

[NBachers]

23. I've been saying for years the Republican Party is a RICO

Maybe we can get them named as co-conspirators

[breadandwine]

27. None dare use RICO to charge a fundamentally criminal enterprise against the

[indepat]

31. A racket that makes organized crime look like a pauper

:thumbsup: :P

[AsahinaKimi]

17. I hope they rip BP a new one..

Strip Tony Hayward and BP Execs down to the financial bone.

[Joe Chi Minh]

18. My wife read something to me this morning about Blair being the ideal

replacement CEO for BP - in all seriousness. His stature in the eyes of the Americans, apparently!

Personally, I think it's time to call on Mark Thatcher. His parents were big shareholders in Burma Oil/BP, I believe. He'd have an inside track on this turn it's taking, too, wouldn't he?

[Overseas]

21. K&R! Fabulous! //nt

[grahamhgreen]

22. They have definitely become organized criminals, going as far as corrupting their government over-

seers.

They need to be criminally prosecuted.

[wordpix]

37. think you got that backwards---it's BigOil that's the overseer & US gov is the underling

Yes, the congressmen & presidents who take BigOil money let BigOil run MMS, Dept of Interior, EPA, judges---all are doing the bidding of BigOil. BigOil pays for the well oiled machinery to operate their way and campaign donations pay their employees (congressmen, presidents, judges) to get or stay in place. :puke

[DemoTex]

28. I love Mike Papantonio!

Smart as a whip. Does he still do his radio show with RFK, Jr?

[Incitatus]

29. Could this mean the entire company could be liable for damages.

From what I have read, only the North American subsidiary would be responsible for this disaster. Which means there would still be a BP. If a RICO case was won, does that mean all of BP is fully responsible and could go BK, or have to pay damages from the profits of all the companies operations over several years?

[dipsydoodle]

30. Sounds like a series

of wet dreams. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703900004575325131111637728.html

[lunatica]

32. This news makes me feel some relief

Use the law against them. What a concept!

[RainDog]

36. good for them n/t

[marions ghost]

39. RICO -- I don't have much faith in that

My impression is that RICO usually doesn't work. Possibly because EVRYTHING is a racket in America.

Anybody want to argue to the contrary? I'm not a lawyer--it's just a general impression that RICO suits don't win.

:shrug:

[marions ghost]

40. k & r

nt