Judge Barbier Approves the BP Settlement
If you follow the doomsday theorists, 12/21/12 was suppose to be the end of the world, well, not really, it was the first day of the official BP Settlement. Any connection, probably not, but Judge Barbier did lay a compelling and substantive case as to why The DeepWater Horizon Settlement should move forward. You can read it for yourself here.
There are issues with the settlement, but the fact of the matter is we all just want to see people and businesses get paid, and this is what we have to work with. There was a lot of interesting information in the 125 page document. Most compelling was the Judges rebuttals of the numerous objections raised. The Judge provided his thoughts in great detail as to why he thought certain objections did not have merit, or were basically outweighed for numerous reasons, citing a variety of case law.
I still believe there are issues with the Customer Mix Test and NAICS codes, but much of that can be handled with an Appeal, and we will all see how those Appeals are handled. If David Duval who heads up the BP Settlements Appeals division can get adequate compensation for the BP Settlement Claims that deserve it, and if he is given some latitude in correcting NAICS codes and other assorted anomalies, then I think the BP Settlement is a strong substitute for litigation. We will see how this aspect of the process unfolds, and how much leeway he and his Team are given. There is a lot riding on this aspect of the DeepWater Horizon Settlement Structure.
Seafood Compensation Program (You have 30 Days)
Under the terms of the BP Settlement, people that are taking part of the Seafood Compensation Program only have 30 Days after the Judges approval to present their claim to the DeepWater Horizon Settlement Fund for Approval. That means the clock is ticking and if you haven`t filed yet, you need to.
BP Settlement Numbers
91,000 people had so far filed with DeepWater Horizon Settlement Fund. They expect that number to hit over 1,000,000, hopefully many more will come to the table now that the Judge has formally approved the BP Settlement.
Excluded Claims Have Until January 19th to be Presented to OPA
If you were excluded from the BP Settlement you must have your claim filed by January 19th. That means you need to act now, to protect your Rights. We have people that can Help You.
These types of businesses and their employees that are for the most part Excluded from the Settlement.
- Most Casino Type Institutions;
- Most Fund, Trust, and Banking Entities;
- Most Defense Contractors;
- Most Oil & Gas Industry Entities;
- Most Insurance Companies;
- Bodily Injury Claims;
- BP Shareholder Suits;
- Moratorium Loss Claims;
- Claims relating to Menhaden (or “pogy”) fishing, selling, processing, and harvesting;
Claims for Damages by Companies or Individuals for employment in the Financial, Insurance, Banking, Gaming, Oil & Gas, Defense Contractor industries, and Real Estate Development, as well as Entities selling or BP-branded fuel.
GCCF Denials and Stalled Claims
If you had filed with the GCCF and been denied or been stalled, there is still hope for your claim under the BP Settlement. For all of its flaws, and it still has a few, in this writers opinion it is a whole lot better then what the GCCF was under Mr. Feinberg. It is transparent, it has a clear methodology, and it is not arbitrary. The folks that run the DeepWater Horizon Settlement want to pay you, and many claims that were shunned by the GCCF are welcomed under the terms of the BP Settlement.
Multiple Store Locations
We have seen a tremendous growth in Companies with multiple stores, in multiple locations, making BP Settlement Claims with us as of late. These claims have a different parameters to meet, as they are often located in a number of different Settlement Zones, often with a Headquarters that is not located in any of the Settlement Zones. We have seen an influx of Real Estate Companies, Restaurants, and assorted other Franchises ask us for assistance, we have a separate Division specializing in assisting these entities.
VOO Claims
We have had great success in getting VOO Claims through the system. We have even gotten them through after BP has appealed them. We have heard that BP is appealing them at a more frequent rate, and we can help you, we have gotten some through in as little as 2 weeks.
What will we See Next
Now this part is pure conjecture mixed with some facts, I am not an Attorney, but we are pretty involved in all of this, and I think we have a good read, and some inside track to what will happen next.
- The DeepWater Horizon Settlement Fund will pick up speed processing claims.
- More Staff will be hired to necessitate the above.
- More Individuals will begin to see their claims get Paid.
- More Claimants will come to the Table.
- Some Latitude will be given to the Appeals Division for NAICS code issues
The BPClaims.org Network
I am so proud of all of the people that make up our Internal Staff, I have never met a group of people that really put the Claimants welfare at such a high paramount. It is all working as intended, and this could not be done without your continued vigilance on the claimants behalf, and the compassion that you all have displayed over the last couple of years. As we have begun to add more staff, and create different Divisions, I am sure this trend will continue.
Partners within the Network have all displayed similar characteristics, and have been working 7 days a week to meet the Claimants needs.
We process your BP Settlement Claims for as little as 15% without using Attorneys, and slightly more if they are needed.
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