BP Pushes for Oil Industry-Friendly Judge to Handle Lawsuits

[The Straight Story]

BP Pushes for Oil Industry-Friendly Judge to Handle Lawsuits

BP, operator of the Deepwater Horizon oil platform, is pushing for a single judge in Houston—who has friendly ties with the oil industry—to handle the nearly 100 lawsuits so far filed against the company.

BP’s choice is U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes, a 25-year veteran who was first appointed by President Ronald Reagan, and who has been compensated for traveling to ethics lectures he’s presented before the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, a professional organization that works with oil companies, including BP.

The Miami Herald has reported that Hughes has “collected royalties from several energy companies, including ConocoPhillips and Devon Energy, from investments in mineral rights.”

BP’s justification for having Hughes assigned to the 98 civil cases is based on the fact that he already is hearing one class-action case filed by a group of Vietnamese-American fishermen affected by the oil spill, and that he has experience presiding over complex, multi-jurisdictional cases.

The decision of where to assign the lawsuits rests with the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, which is expected to decide by July if the BP suits will be consolidated in a single court and if Hughes will oversee all of them.

http://www.allgov.com/Top_Stories/ViewNews/BP_Pushes_for_Oil_Industry_Friendly_Judge_to_Handle_Lawsuits_100530

[Duer 157099]

1. Whoever is in charge of making this decision

will forever taint their career if Hughes ends up hearing the case(s).

Not that they'll likely care since they'll be rewarded generously for their subservience to BP.

FUCK the corporate rule of America!!!

[RKP5637]

2. Ditto!!! "FUCK the corporate rule of America!!!" n/t

[Scuba]

3. Yeah, and I want Cheech Marin to preside over my pot bust.