Feinberg Says Judge Should Stay Out of BP Oil Spill Claims Fund
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The U.S. judge in charge of hundreds of BP Plc oil spill-related damages lawsuits shouldn’t -- and legally can’t -- take charge of the claims-payment process, said the head of BP Plc’s $20 billion spill fund.
The attorneys general of four Gulf Coast states had asked U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier in New Orleans to monitor fund administrator Kenneth Feinberg to ensure fair and prompt payment of thousands of oil spill damage claims, as required by law. On April 7, Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood asked Barbier to intervene, conduct an independent audit of Feinberg’s Gulf Coast Claims Facility and hold public hearings on the findings.