On April 20, 2010 BP caused one of the biggest environmental disaster in the history of the world. It spilled 210,000,000 gallons of oil before it was plugged. A massive clean-up effort ensued after the initial explosion and thousands of clean-up workers ran toward danger just as people did in response to the 9/11 attack on the twin towers in New York. BP put no safety precautions into place nor did they give any warnings. In fact workers were told they would be fired if they did wear safety equipment. Although BP paid millions to businesses for their economic loss, the heroes that worked tirelessly to clean up the spill instead had to pay BP with their livelihoods and their lives. This is the true cost of BP’s service being paid by ordinary citizens.

In 2014, BP admitted in court that it takes years for cancer to develop after people come in contact with the spill. “All individuals with exposure-related injuries diagnosed after an April 2012 cutoff date must sue for compensation under contract provisions reserved for latent injuries, such as cancer, which might develop years after someone comes into contact with the spill.”

As of February 23, 2021, 4,700 Back End Litigation claims have been filed before Judge Barbier in the EDLA. The court would not confirm that there were no settlements. They did say that there were stipulated dismissals that may or may not have resulted in a settlement.  However, our community of victims and their representation are not aware of any settlements, trials, or verdicts. How can BP get away with extorting the true cost of their service from the cleanup workers?