BP Oil Spill Victims Challenging Procedures Gulf Coast Claims Facility Used in Lawsuits

BP oil spill victims are contesting the claims-handling procedures of the Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF) in two lawsuits recently filed in state courts.

In Florida, a marine salvage company is charging that the GCCF is using a “delay, deny, defend” strategy to wear financially strapped claimants down until they accept a miniscule percentage of the damages to which they are entitled. The lawsuit was filed Feb. 25 (Pinellas Marine Salvage Inc. v. Feinberg).

The company’s attorney, Brian J. Donovan, likened the GCCF’s claims handling to that of “unscrupulous insurance companies” in a March 3 blog post at ...