Alabama is the first state to sue British Petroleum over the Gulf oil spill catastrophe. Alabama’s Attorney General Troy King filed a lawsuit on behalf of the state against BP in federal court (Alabama Middle District) last Thursday, August 12, 2010. The complaint alleges negligence, trespass, public and private nuisance, and violation of the Federal Oil Pollution Act of 1990. King asserts that BP’s conduct in operating the oil well illustrates “their scheme to maximize profits and ignore dangerous risks posed to human health and property.” Further, King alleges that BP’s initial response to the disaster was “lackluster and only intensified the damage” and that BP also “failed to institute proper oil disaster response plans to contain the catastrophic oil release.”
King seeks damages for harm to Alabama waters and property; lost state revenues from taxes and royalties; costs expended by the state for removing or cleaning the contamination; costs expended by the state for providing increased or additional public services to address the oil; and costs associated with the long-term stigma of the oil disaster.
This suit adds to the growing number of lawsuits filed against BP and the other main companies involved in the disaster, now reaching approximately 300.
Read More about the lawsuit:
http://news.findlaw.com/ap/f/1310/08-13-2010/20100813000501_01.html
http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/08/17/29648.htm
Read the complaint filed by Attorney General Troy King:
http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/08/17/AlavBP2.pdf
Posted on
Thu, August 19, 2010
by Mary Kate Walters