Taking Issue with the BP Full-Page Ad

In the Friday, November 29^th issue of the New York Times, BP (formerly known as British Petroleum) took out a full-page ad lambasting the settlement process that has overseen payouts to claimants in the fallout of the horrific 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The ad lists a number of what BP calls “outrageous awards.” Among them, BP details the settlement of a cell phone retailer and service company that received a settlement award of $135,258, despite the fact that, according to BP, the store had shut down for all of the 2010 year due to a fire. Another outrageous incident, according to BP, was the settlement award of $704,000 to a Florida RV park owner whose park had actually been foreclosed upon two weeks before the spill even occurred.

More stories like these and others are listed on the website www.thestateofthegulf.com, operated by BP as a method of defending themselves and fighting back against the legal consequences of their misconduct.

While the attorneys at the Law Offices of Aronberg & Aronberg know all too well that false claims of damages are ubiquitous, we also know that they are the exception and not the rule. They are not the true face of victims and taking out full-page ads highlighting some false claims undermines the true losses experienced by millions in the Gulf region and their ability to recover damages.

Our Florida personal injury lawyers also know the truly devastating effect that the oil spill has had on the livelihood of our state.

Let’s not forget that BP was absolutely negligent in their actions that caused the BP oil spill. If they weren’t, they wouldn’t have pled guilty to serious criminal charges (including charges relating to the deaths of 11 workers) and they certainly wouldn’t have agreed to pay $4.5 billion in fines arising from their misconduct.

The giant oil company, which brought in revenue last year to the tune of roughly $338 billion (according to BP’s 2012 Annual Report) has made it overtly clear on the above-listed website that they “stepped up” and took responsibility. It also makes sure that the site’s visitors know that BP believes that it was “absolutely not” grossly negligent.

Finally, in addition to berating the claims and settlement process, in their New York Times ad, BP takes aim at “plaintiffs’ lawyers” who twist the facts in order to make money. Casting a disparaging blanket of judgment across an entire field of law is itself negligent—and BP should know a thing or two about the costs of negligence. Attorneys like the ones at Aronberg & Aronberg fight hard to protect the rights of everyday people and to help them in recovering their losses. Not everybody can afford to pay thousands of dollars an hour for corporate attorneys like BP can.

Just like there is no reason to disparage an entire group of individuals who suffered greatly through no fault of their own, there is no need to attack trial lawyers who believe so much in the work that they do that they forego payment until their clients receive compensation for their losses. The last time we checked, it wasn’t a group of plaintiffs’ attorneys that was forced to pay the largest criminals settlement in U.S. history—it was BP.

Don’t let BP and other large corporations scare you into thinking that just because of a few unwarranted claims, your claim is not justified. If you feel that you have been injured due to the misconduct of another individual or the wrongdoing of a corporation, please reach out to us for a free consultation. You can contact the Law Offices of Aronberg & Aronberg by calling us at or by emailing us at daronberg@build.simple.biz.

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