Gulf Oil Spill
Baron & Budd’s Role in the Gulf Oil Spill Litigation
Immediately after the explosion that caused the massive Gulf oil spill, Baron & Budd got to work, helping individuals and businesses that had sustained economic and/or physical damages. We were called upon not only by people who needed help but also by the media as they clamored to find out how such a horrific event could have taken place.
Click here to download a pdf of the May 2010 article in The National Law Journal featuring Baron & Budd shareholder and water contamination group head Scott Summy.
Throughout the summer and before the leak was capped, Baron & Budd began the work we are continuing today: helping business owners understand and navigate the BP fund established by President Obama. Chief among our concerns was the need for business owners to understand the long-term ramifications of accepting an offer from the fund, as this was a singular opportunity to receive compensation for what could be far-reaching losses.
MILESTONE LEGAL EVENTS
August 2010
Environmental attorney and Baron & Budd shareholder Burton LeBlanc of Baton Rouge, La., and Baron & Budd were retained by the state of Louisiana to provide counsel to the state’s designated trustees in connection with issues related to the Deepwater Horizon explosion and resulting oil spill.
Gov. Bobby Jindal was quoted by The Associated Press (Aug. 13, 2010):
“I don’t care –to me it’s not about partisan politics. I don’t care if it’s a Democratic firm, Republican firm. The trustee agencies (such as Wildlife and Fisheries or Environmental Quality), the AG’s office looked across the country. They have found experts, they have found advocates that are the nation’s best.”
Russell Budd, president and managing shareholder of the firm applauded the decision to locate the Gulf oil spill MDL in the Eastern District of New Orleans with District Judge Carl Barbier presiding.
Budd mentioned in The Los Angeles Times (Aug. 12, 2010):
“Russell Budd, head of Dallas-based plaintiffs firm Baron & Budd representing gulf businesses hurt by the spill, said New Orleans was appropriate as ‘the epicenter of the disaster’ and Barbier as ‘highly qualified’ and already engaged with many of the cases.”
September 2010
Baron & Budd attends first hearing of the MDL litigation surrounding the Gulf oil spill in New Orleans. (Sept. 15, 2010).
October 2010
Scott Summy, head of Baron & Budd’s water contamination team, is one of four attorneys chosen to serve both on the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee and on the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee (PSC) of the Multi-District Litigation (MDL). This appointment, made by Judge Barbier, was an honor and a testament to Mr. Summy’s and Baron & Budd’s strength as fair-minded and knowledgeable attorneys who can represent the best interests of thousands of individuals and businesses that have been affected by this spill.
Summy was mentioned in Reuters article “Gulf Coast attorneys to lead U.S. oil spill lawsuits” (October 10, 2010). Click here to view the article.
