Lawyers and noted advocate Erin Brockovich fight for fishermen, businesses and property owners

Erin Brockovich has joined together with environmental lawyers from Weitz & Luxenberg to help those impacted by the British Petroleum (BP) oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, which is of such magnitude it could become the nation’s worst environmental disaster in decades.

Erin traveled to the Gulf with our attorneys, including the States of Florida, Alabama and Mississippi, to meet with the people impacted by the oil spill and to discuss with them how they have been affected and will be impacted in the future.

"People want to know, ‘What will happen to the ecosystem, the fish and wildlife? Who can help local commercial fishermen, property owners whose land has been ruined, and families worried about the spill’s impact on their food and health?’" said Brockovich. To date, the environmental advocate has met with people in town hall meetings in Pensacola, Florida, Bayou La Batre, Alabama, and Biloxi and Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

An explosion on April 20, 2010 killed 11 workers, and sank the offshore drilling rig Deepwater Horizon, setting in motion the unfolding disaster.

It has already closed waters to commercial fishing and is threatening to close more, and it is believed to be capable of damaging home owners and businesses all along the Gulf coast. The mammoth nature of the environmental disaster has necessitated the involvement of six government agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, Defense Department, Environmental Protection Agency, Interior Department, Homeland Security and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Gulf Oil Spill Lawsuits
Weitz & Luxenberg, together with a consortium of law firms, have filed lawsuits in response to the BP oil spill. The complaints (Case Numbers 3:10-cv-00137-MCR-EMT and 2:10-cv-01229-KDE-SS), which were filed against BP, Halliburton, Cameron and other parties, seek to recover damages suffered by our clients as a result of the oil spill. The lawsuits allege, in part, that Defendants knew of the dangers associated with deep-water drilling and failed to take appropriate measures to prevent damages to our clients and the environment in which they live and work.

The fast-moving oil slick has already devastated or is threatening to devastate marine and coast environments, and estuarine areas, which are used for fishing and to earn a livelihood. Some of our plaintiffs are owners of wholesale and retail seafood businesses; others are owners of commercial fisheries. All their livelihoods are now at risk as a result of the spill. The Gulf region accounts for about a fifth of total U.S. commercial seafood production and nearly three quarters of the nation’s shrimp output, while nearly a third of all marine recreational fishing trips take place on Gulf waters, according to the Fisheries Service of the NOAA.

“We hear devastating stories from commercial fishermen whose businesses are being crushed by this disaster, as well as from restaurant proprietors and home owners along the coast,” said Robin Greenwald, head of the Environmental and Toxic Torts unit of Weitz & Luxenberg. “We are still waiting to see how far the contamination will travel and how many families will lose their main source of income from this oil slick. Already, however, we know of many people gravely impacted by this pollution.”

Chemicals are now being sprayed underwater to disperse the oil and keep it from washing ashore in great quantities. Millions of gallons are already in the Gulf, however, and, in recent days, researchers have discovered miles-long underwater plumes of oil that could poison and suffocate sea life across the food chain, with damage that could endure for a decade or more.

Fishermen, property and business owners, and others affected by the oil spill may discuss their situation and get a free legal review by completing the form on this page.