From the NY Fishwrapper:
People and businesses seeking a lump-sum settlement from BP’s $20 billion oil spill compensation fund will most likely have to waive their right to sue not only BP, but also all the other major defendants involved with the spill, according to internal documents from the lawyers handling the fund.
The documents — which include e-mails, draft and final versions of the protocols, claims forms and legal notes about the administration of the fund — provide the first definitive picture of who will be paid by the $20 billion fund, and how and when.
They also shed new light on the components of the payment plan that are likely to stir controversy, including the fund’s emphasis on geographic proximity as a determining factor for eligibility.
The fund is being administered by a prominent Washington lawyer, Kenneth R. Feinberg, who declined to be interviewed about the documents but verified their authenticity.
The eligibility requirements for compensation from the fund are similar to those of the 9/11 victims compensation fund, which Mr. Feinberg also handled. People affected by the spill seeking final settlements face a choice similar to that faced by the 9/11 victims: If they decide to sue instead of accepting a settlement, they could face years of litigation; and if they decide to accept the settlement, it could come before the full damage from the spill is known.
Talk about rigging the game! You get better odds of leaving with money at casinos.
As William Jacobson* predicted back in June:
No appeals, no second chances, not only for BP, but for individuals. The price of submitting to an arbitrary claims process is the loss of access to the judiciary and the legal process. That may be fine for many people, but it is a high price to pay as a nation supposedly of laws.
The claims process in action:
* Wingnut warning
Filed under: General |
The Confluence 
The Gulf Coast in happier times (embedding disabled, click through to watch):
I never did get Jimmy Buffett … I must not be in his demographic. I always had to set their stuff up and leave the stage when I did the sound for their concerts. He comes under the heading of music that gives me a headache and an earache.
But just think of all the drunks with bad tattoos after listening to Margaritaville 🙂
He’s friends with my son’s ex inlaws. Seemed to be a pretty nice guy.
Oh, I know he’s nice but he really writes mediocre songs and that’s being generous.
When all else fails, grab some happy with Snowball. Miss you SOD.
What happened to SOD? She was great.
SOD is having some really challenges in her personal life right now.
That little bird was a delight when SOD would post it. (((MISS YOU SOD…sending good thoughts)))
Love Snowball! Sending good thoughts to SOD
More good thoughts to SoD..
And more.
Didn’t that happen to 9/11 victims’ families? Something about not suing the airlines?
did they mention that BP is first in line and expects to be paid for their clean up efforts from it? (I kid you not)
I’ll bet no one hold up those payments to BP either.
State of Louisiana will be right behind them….second in line.
Thereby reducing the little people payments even more.
The eligibility requirements for compensation from the fund are similar to those of the 9/11 victims compensation fund, which Mr. Feinberg also handled.
That doesn’t warm anyone hearts…expect BP’s of course, which is the point . What are the chances Mr.Feinberg would get this gig again in an actual free society? I mean what is this? A franchise?
Kenneth R. Feinberg, who declined to be interviewed about the documents but verified their authenticity.
Well that’s good enough for me! Move along, nothing to see here
Yeah, and it’s an ongoing issue with the first responders. They sued and were offered a settlement of some huge number like $625 million, but it works out through the magic of accounting to only a few thousand for most, and nowhere near enough to cover medical expenses. And that’s it. If they take it, they have to promise not to sue again.
Via Doctor Grumpy:
arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!
Barack “I got more money from BP than anybody else” Obama was up to his eyeballs in creating the compensation fund.
What did you expect, a pony?
nope, after Katrina, I expect shit because that’s about what they shovel at us
Which all sounds good until you find out how they make the bread.
Why aren’t they looking at the Exxon Valdez settlements
instead of 9/11? Let me guess – $$$$$$
I don’t even think Exxon has paid the “small people” yet. That thing was reduced a dozen different times in court and they still kept appealing.
They have, I have life long friends that were affected, and they are still getting payments, that is everytime the courts say pay up. They had to sell their boats and business license, and have since brought a home in Hawaii, a 50 acre ranch in California, and
haven’t worked a day since that time. How other panned out I don’t know, but I can speak to my friends
results.
Sweet Haruhi I hate plutocracy. 😡
Hell, at some point the greedy $#!+$ may become such insufferable bandits that Marxism could actually make a comeback.
Plutocracy vs. Marxism–kind of like the Utah death penalty: would you rather be shot or injected? [Once upon a time, it was “shot or hanged”, but they changed it.] 😉
For that matter, GOP vs. DINOs is like the Utah death penalty, too. 😛
As Uppity says, it’s death by hanging or death by drowning 😉
death by fire or death by drwoning.
Heh, it’s about time. Small Investors Flee Stock Market
I’d say small investors are tired of being fleeced.
Yes, I would rather play the lottery, especially when the CEO’s get paid 20, 40, 60 million and some even more, but they write little letters saying how darn awful it was you stock lost 90% of it value.
Also, I have lost confidence on regulators since the techie stocks allowed the CEOs to fleece the company before it tanked when they knew of the earning or lack of earnings and given that they were spending and spending before ever making a dime.
What does one executive do for 40 million or 60 million?
He schmoozes and buys politicians.
From BOTH parties.
Most people I know are paying off debt as fast as they can and buying nothing that’s not needed. From what I read, that may be a trend and, if so, a demand driven recovery is a long time coming.
yup, i just posted a link from WAPO on the previous thread about that
I just went back and read it. Sometimes the cluelessness just amazes me. The executive class must only speak to each other. If they had a conversation with the person cutting their hair, they would know better.
I’m starting to really wonder about this myself.
Does Barack Obama want to be re-elected in 2012?
Lol Yes, he’s too big for the Presidency. How about we make him Holy Roman Emperor? That would settle the religion thing, too.
does that means he can go to the Vatican and arm wrestle the pope for world control of the extremely gullible?
It means that he gets spotted a lot of points when playing Risk. Seeing as how Obama has total control of the world press, he pretty much has cornered the market on the extremely gullible.
his next book
America, the ungovernable: Vero non possumus.
He’ll be 130 years old, never having accomplished anything of note, and they’ll still be waiting for him to swing into action. Wait for it, wait for it, any second now, it’s coming…
Like Armageddon, it’s coming but we just don’t know when.
gosh, between that seal and the greek columns in denver you’d think some folks would’ve bought a clue right then and there
King of the Universe
Roman? How about Emperor of the Galaxy? As Judy Tenuta would say “It could happen”
All right, isn’t the Telegraph a fairly conservative paper? Yet Toby Harnden hits all the high notes. Does he know something we don’t about an opening in the WH Press Office?
Your take on what Hamden said was different than mine. I read it as indictment of a guy who can’t connect with his people and doesn’t much care. Devastating for a president.
There are some people who will always have to support his “historicalness” and him in the bargain. I’m calling it “Alice Walker’s burden.” While I still respect Ms Walker for her other accomplishments, I see her feet of clay. Her “black trumps white” every time policy blinded her on this one – even though Obama clearly has a white as well as black heritage. It’s hard to be patient when your deepest dreams seem to be at last in reach.
Yes, another we could have had Hillary moment. A twofer – the best candidate and the first woman.
well said
ditto.
Nancy Freedman, feminist who had long and varied literary career, dies at 90
Massive Oil Plume Found In Gulf
August 21, 2010
Scientists have found a 22 mile-long oil plume in the Gulf of Mexico, despite claims that the majority of the oil had dispersed.
I went international with my tabloids today
http://edgeoforever.wordpress.com/2010/08/22/tabloids-international-wikileaks-me-peace-iran-nuclear-reactor/
Also, did you guys see this in Politico?
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0810/41280.html
White House slammed for rosy Gulf view
Like W, they still insist on their lie that only 25% oil is left (so stop saying that!)
It was the false ‘Gulf Mission Accomplished’, or don’t believe your lying eyes…that is not an oil plume you are seeing.
NOAA whistleblower Bill Lehr testified before the House Energy and Commerce subpanel last Thursday. Estimates that roughly three-quarters of the oil remains in the environment.
Also said the decision to release their NOAA report early (as in, before research was completed) was made by the WHITE HOUSE and not by the scientists.
The POLITICAL team made the decision.
(See article at The Hill: “NOAA official: Roughly Three-Quarters of spilled oil still in Gulf.”
The outrage expressed by subcomittee members (Markey, Issa, etc) was VERY bipartisan.
OT: Another Obama “accomplishment:”
From Bloomberg article “Paychecks to Shrink Because of Higher Health Premiums, US Companies Say.”
Due to early implementation of several Obamacare elements (inclusion of adult children, no limit on payments , etc) companies are projecting 9% increases in costs next year (7% this year).
Companies will ask employees to pay more for their share of increases, causing net paychecks to shrink.
Heckuva job, Obie!
But, but, but Ezra Klein said that companies would save money on health insurance premiums and then, out of the goodness of their heart, give the savings to the employees by increasing their wages.
Am I to conclude that Ezra is wrong? Or is it just that he’s talking about a different place than planet Earth?
Let’s just say that Ezra was “invested” in trying to persuade the public that easy-to-figure-out facts weren’t really gonna happen, and that “magical thinking” was part of the inspiration of hope and change.
Not to mention that he was the FOUNDER of Journolist, where they conspired with persuasive talking points, with “unpaid” Obama staffers on the Journolist (ie, direct contact with WH).
All hail the propagandists, eh?
I’m guessing the only reason Ezra still HAS his WAPO job is that the editors understand very clearly those “connections” and “investment.”
Ezra’s full of sh*t. 🙂
Ezra says it’s okay to lie for a good cause.
(Good cause = one he believes in)
One of those sucking sounds we were hearing is the vacuum stuck to his ear. The “plop” was his brain hitting the floor.
Just as I kept saying this July was the biggest increase and also workers comp rates up and with the mandated aspect of it the they didn’t think to make America competitive with other countries that have Universal Health Care. What they put into place was the mob insurance scheme where they can charge what ever they want and Obama will fine people who refuse to be robbed.
NOW, I ask you would a TRULY DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENT have kept out the Public OPTION? Why did President Obama keep the PUBLIC OPTION and the MEDICARE BUY IN out of the health care reform? Who is benefiting? President Obama had the Insurance companies in mind and Wall Street and not SMALL BUSINESS and NOT THE WORKING FOLKS.
The Democrats blew it and in the process are hurting people more while claiming it is historic.
Hard to deny it’s historically bad.
Well, there’s the problem:
We didn’t elect a TRULY DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENT.
We elected the bought-and-paid-for empty suit.
And Ezra, bless his little heart, was a large part of misleading the public.
I watched Chris Hayes sub for Rachel Maddow the other night. Jesus , his voice is like a nervous adolescent chipmunk.
Alvin, Simon, Theodore and Ezra.
ROFLMAO!
That’s “bupkes,” or sometimes “bupkus.”
Where I come from it’s “bumpkis.”
What are you, a spelling nazi?
Is that how they say it in Clownville? I’ll have to look that ump.