Gulf Coast Lawsuit

PUTATIVE class action lawsuit
FILED by SCHMIDT LAW FIRM on Behalf of mississippi bp oil spill victims

George W. Schmidt II of Schmidt Law Firm, has filed a putative class action lawsuit in the State of Mississippi against BP p.l.c. and 15 other drilling defendant entities involved in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that occurred in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, April 20, 2010. The lawsuit was filed in association with co-counsel firm Motley Rice LLC on behalf of putative class representatives Kimberly and Do Nguyen, individually and on behalf of others along the Mississippi coast who have sustained and continue to sustain damages to their businesses and livelihoods as a result of the oil spill. According to the plaintiffs’ claim, collective faults and failures on the part of all of the drilling defendants have resulted in significant and devastating financial loss due to the effects of the oil spill on the Gulf of Mexico’s and Mississippi’s marine and coastal environments, natural resources, estuarine areas and commercial fisheries.

Filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi on Wednesday, May 26, 2010, the lawsuit seeks to compensate the Nguyens, and others similarly situated, for the financial losses, increased costs of doing business and other burdens that they have suffered through their sole business since the onset of the oil spill. Kimberly and Do Nguyen are Ocean Springs, MS, residents who operate a shrimp retail business known as The Shrimp Guy and depend upon shrimp obtained from the Gulf of Mexico. Because of the oil spill damage, they have been denied access to local shrimp, the foundation of their business, and have experienced a marked decrease in sales and profits while trying to locate adequate replacement shrimp. The lawsuit also covers additional Mississippi businesses that retail and wholesale seafood obtained by commercial fisherman from the affected waters.

The plaintiffs and putative class members represented in the lawsuit claim that each of the named defendants are liable in whole or in part for contributing to or causing the oil spill due to cost-cutting practices, failure to adhere to proper rules, regulations, and guidelines, as well as business practices that were negligent, grossly negligent, willful or wanton. As a direct result of the oil spill and the defendants’ failure to immediately stop the spill, the plaintiffs allege they have suffered and will continue to suffer from an extensive loss of revenue and earning capacity because of the damage to the fishing industry on which their livelihoods depend. Kimberly and Do Nguyen and the putative class seek economic, compensatory and punitive damages.

In an effort to compensate those economically harmed by the Gulf oil spill’s damage and hold accountable those responsible for causing the oil spill, the lawsuit alleges that the defendants are responsible, all or in part, for negligence, private nuisance, public nuisance, strict liability for product defect and strict liability for abnormally dangerous and ultra hazardous activities. The defendants named in the lawsuit are: BP p.l.c.; BP America Inc.; BP Products North America Inc.; BP American Production Company; BP Exploration & Production Inc; Anadarko Petroleum Corporation; Moex Offshore 2007 LLC; Transcocean Ltd.; Transocean Deepwater Inc.; Transocean Offshore Deepwater Drilling Inc.; Transocean Holdings LLC; Triton Asset Leasing GmbH; Halliburton Energy Services Inc.; Cameron International Corporation f/k/a Cooper Cameron Corporation; M-I LLC; Weatherford International Ltd; and other people, companies and/or corporations whose identities are not yet known.

For more information about the oil spill lawsuit or to join the putative class action, contact attorney George W. Schmidt, II (MS) at 601.325.1219 or schmidtlawfirmpa@gmail.com.

About Schmidt Law Firm, P.A.
George Schmidt, II has18 years of trial experience in state and federal courts representing the people of Mississippi. Schmidt Law Firm, located in Hattiesburg, represents individuals seriously injured through the negligence of others, including defective products and drugs, oil field accidents, consumer fraud, insurance bad faith cases and toxic torts. Schmidt is a member of the Mississippi Municipal Judges Association, Mississippi Bar, the American Bar Association, the Mississippi Association for Justice and the Lamar Order. Additional information about Schmidt Law Firm, P.A. can be obtained by contacting the Mississippi Bar Association at: 601-948-2344. Co-counsel Motley Rice LLC is located at 28 Bridgeside Blvd, Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464.