Deepwater Horizon Medical Settlement Payments Close at Hand

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On Tuesday, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed the remaining appeals of BP PLC’s $130 million medical benefits settlement with a class of workers involved with the cleanup of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

The BP oil spill settlement, which allowed for payments to and treatment of thousands of cleanup workers and Gulf Coast residents who were allegedly injured by the spill, was reached in May 2012. Now that the appellate court has dismissed the final claim in opposition to the class action settlement, BP will finally be able to start paying medical claims.

Under the terms of the BP oil spill settlement, cleanup workers and coastal residents will be able to receive payments for the medical costs associated with a range of specific conditions, including respiratory problems, neurological issues and skin rashes. In addition to the medical payments, Class Members will also be able to receive periodic medical exams and testing for the next 21 years.

BP continues to face lawsuits filed by state and local governments as well as other entities affected by the oil spill. Last year, the British oil giant pleaded guilty to criminal charges related to the 2010 oil spill that killed 11 people.

Since reaching the class action settlement, BP has raised repeated challenges to the validity of claims from businesses seeking a portion of the settlement funds. In December, the Fifth Circuit granted BP’s request to freeze oil spill settlement payments to claimants after finding that the issue of causation needed to be clarified to prevent property damage and economic loss claimants from getting benefits they should not have been entitled to receive. In January, the  Fifth Circuit upheld the $9.2 billion class action settlement.

Under the terms of the oil spill settlement, Deepwater Horizon medical benefits claimants must have lived in beachfront areas within half a mile of the Gulf of Mexico, or in wetlands within one mile of the waters in the coastal areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida panhandle in 2010. Class Members with valid medical claims have until Feb. 11, 2015 to file claims. For more information about your eligibility for the Deepwater Horizon  medical benefits, click here or visit www.DeepwaterHorizonMedicalSettlement.com.

“It’s been a long four years, but now hundreds of thousands of people will finally get the medical care and compensation they need,” plaintiffs’ attorneys Stephen Herman and James Roy said in a statement released Thursday.

The plaintiffs are represented by Stephen J. Herman of Herman Herman & Katz LLC and James Parkerson Roy of Domengeaux Wright Roy & Edwards.

The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Class Action Lawsuit is In re: Deepwater Horizon, Case No. 13-30221, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill MDL is In re: Oil Spill by the Oil Rig “Deepwater Horizon” in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010, Case No. 2:10-md-02179, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.