HOUMA — Terrebonne Parish District Attorney Joe Waitz has filed suit against oil giant BP, seeking money for wildlife killed or hurt by the massive oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico.
The lawsuit, filed Monday, is among the first in an expected series from prosecutors in coastal parishes. St. Tammany Parish’s district attorney also sued the company Monday. Lafourche Parish prosecutors are scheduled to meet Wednesday to determine if they will file a similar lawsuit.
Each lawsuit will be handled within its own parish. Sixty percent of awarded money — if any — would go to the State Conservation Fund. The rest would go the district attorney’s office.
Don Carmouche, a Gonzales attorney who is a part of a team of lawyers handling the Terrebonne suit, said significant impact from the oil leak to Terrebonne and other parishes along the coast is certain.
“It’s real,” he said. “It’s going to be horrible, ultimately, for the state.”
Rig operator BP PLC estimates that the blown-out well has leaked more than 5 million gallons.
To date, environmental damage in the Terrebonne area hasn’t been as great as initially feared following the April 20 Deepwater Horizon rig explosion that killed 11 workers. Rig operator BP PLC estimates that the blown-out well has leaked more than 5 million gallons, sending tar balls onto barrier islands and impacting commercial and recreational fishing.
“We are not likely to know the extent of the damages to our people, our wildlife and aquatic life for some time,” Waitz said in a written statement. “We will not wait until the extent of the damage is known because we want all to be put on notice that dead or suffering wildlife and aquatic life are evidence and should not be destroyed.”
This article was written by The Associated Press
http://neworleanscitybusiness.com/blog/2010/05/18/terrebonne-parish-sues-bp-over-oil-leak/
If you or someone you love is dealing with the effects of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, contact us at Murphy Law Firm to learn more about your rights to compensation. Schedule a free initial consultation with an attorney by calling us at 225-928-8800 or toll free at 800-734-6545. We work on a contingency basis, which means we do not receive any attorney fees unless we recover damages for you.
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