NEW YORK — Weitz & Luxenberg P.C. has joined together with environmental advocate Erin Brockovich to help those impacted by the British Petroleum oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, which is of such magnitude it could become the nation’s worst environmental disaster in decades. In the coming days, Brockovich will be traveling to the Gulf with our attorneys, including the States of Louisiana, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi, to meet with the people impacted by the spill and to discuss with them how they have been affected and will be impacted in the future.
"People want to know, ‘What will happen to the ecosystem, the fish and wildlife? Who can help local commercial fishermen, property owners whose land has been ruined, and families worried about the spill’s impact on their food and health?’" said Brockovich.
The spill, precipitated by a BP offshore oil rig, Deepwater Horizon, which exploded on Tuesday, April 20, 2010, has left 11 workers missing and presumed to be dead. It has already closed waters to commercial fishing and is threatening to close more, and it is believed to be capable of damaging home owners and businesses all along the Gulf coast. The mammoth nature of the environmental disaster has necessitated the involvement of six government agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, Defense Department, Environmental Protection Agency, Interior Department, Homeland Security and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Weitz & Luxenberg, together with a consortium of law firms, has filed lawsuits in response to the BP oil spill. The complaints (Case Numbers 3:10-cv-00137-MCR-EMT and 2:10-cv-01229-KDE-SS], which were filed against BP, Halliburton, Cameron and other parties, seek to recover damages suffered by clients as a result of the Gulf oil spill. The lawsuits allege, in part, that Defendants knew of the dangers associated with deep-water drilling and failed to take appropriate measures to prevent damages to our clients and the environment in which they live and work.
The fast-moving oil slick has already devastated or is threatening to devastate marine and coast environments, and estuarine areas, which are used for fishing and to earn a livelihood. Some of our plaintiffs are owners of wholesale and retail seafood businesses; others are owners of commercial fisheries. All their livelihoods are now at risk as a result of the spill. The Gulf reLawyers and noted advocate fight for fishermen, businesses and property owners gion accounts for about a fifth of total U.S. commercial seafood production and nearly three quarters of the nation’s shrimp output, while nearly a third of all marine recreational fishing trips take place on Gulf waters, according to the Fisheries Service of the NOAA.
“We hear devastating stories from commercial fishermen whose businesses are being crushed by this disaster, as well as from restaurant proprietors and home owners along the coast,” said Robin Greenwald, head of the Environmental and Toxic Torts unit of Weitz & Luxenberg. “We are still waiting to see how far the contamination will travel and how many families will lose their main source of income from this oil slick. Already, however, we know of many people gravely impacted by this pollution.”
Source: Weitz & Luxenberg P.C.