American Judges in Bed with Oil Companies

The process of a legal showdown between BP and hundreds of victims of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico began with unpleasant news — there was nobody to settle the dispute between the plaintiffs and the defendants since almost all of the judges in the southern states of the U.S. turned out to be, in one way or another, connected to an oil company or its structures.

Before reaching the courtroom, the case of BP vs. the victims of America’s oil spill began with a scandal.

As it turned out, 37 of 64 judges in the States of Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida, where the majority of the lawsuits have been filed, maintain close financial or personal connections with the oil and gas industries, as well as own shares in both BP and other companies connected to the explosion and subsequent sinking of the drilling platform Deepwater Horizon. American journalists, too lazy to check the income statements of employees of Themis,* were quite surprised when it was discovered that the judges appointed to preside over the hearings had received dividends and bonuses from oil companies.

The obvious conflict of interest, which has emerged as a result of newly discovered information, seriously alters the schedule of the hearings. Indeed, it is difficult to disagree with the opinion of the victims’ lawyers that, for example, a judge from Texas who belongs to an elite oilmen’s club in Houston is unlikely to be impartial while examining this case.

As a result, in order to save face, many people in robes have already announced that they will sell their shares in oil companies, as these assets have a foul smell under the circumstances. Dozens of other judges have simply refused [to sell their shares].

To date there are 150 petitions ready for examination, demanding compensation from BP for economic losses connected to the ban on fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as from tour operators and owners of seafood restaurants. It has now become clear however, that for all practical purposes there is nobody to examine the claims against the oil companies. As a result, a proposal has arisen to combine all existing claims into one case and to invite an “independent” judge from New York to preside over the trial. Next month a special panel of judges will determine whether to examine all of these cases individually, or whether to pool them together.

* [Ancient Greek Titan that embodies divine order, law and custom]