gets.primecure.net

Category: BP Oil Rig Explosion/Leak

  • Louisiana BP Oil-Spill Claim Centers

    Before filing a claim, individuals looking for relief due to oil leak damages (both to their property and for lost wages) must call 1-800-440-0858. After reporting their claim to that number and following the directions therein, individuals may then go to a Oil-Spill Claim Center for assistance in receiving compensation. For those looking to make an oil spill claim against BP for the April 20th explosion of the Deepwater Horizon, here is the contact and filing locales in Jefferson Parish:

  • Grand Isle Community Center, 3811 Louisiana 1, Grand Isle
  • Jean Lafitte Town Hall, 2607 Jean Lafitte Blvd., Jean Lafitte
  • 2766 Belle Chasse Highway, south of Gretna between Terry Parkway and Behrman Highway.

    • For those in St. Bernard Parish, the Deepwater Claims Center is located at 1345 Bayou Road, St Bernard at the Rosa Ducros Tennant Museum. Open 8 am – 8 pm.

    Those affected in Plaquemines Parish (Venice, etc.) may go to the Claims Center located at 41093 Highway 23, Boothville, LA 70038. Open 9 am – 5 pm daily.

    The St. Tammany Parish/Slidell claims office opened to the public at 7 a.m. Monday for helping in the filing of claims relating to the Deepwater Horizon explosion and the resulting oil spill. The center is located at 2040 Gause Blvd. Suite 10, of I-10.

    For those with Small Businesses wishing to speak with representatives of the Small Business Administration regarding their options under the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program can visit the following locales’ Business Recovery Center

    Jefferson Parish

    LSBDC Greater New Orleans Region UNO Jefferson Center 3330 N. Causeway, Suite 422 Metairie, LA 70002 Monday to Friday, 8:30 am-5 pm
    Grand Isle Community Center Rotary Room 3811 Highway 1 Grand Isle, LA 70358 Monday to Friday, 8 am – 5 pm
    Lafourche Parish
    South Lafourche Public Library 16241 East Main Street Cut Off, LA 70345 Mondays through Fridays, 9 am – 6 pm
    Orleans Parish
    Vietnamese Initiatives in Economic Training 4655 Michoud Boulevard, #D6, 1st Floor New Orleans, LA 70129 Monday to Friday, 8 am-5 pm
    Plaquemines Parish
    St. Patrick’s Church Family Life Center 28698 Highway 23 Port Sulphur, LA 70083 Monday to Friday, 9 am – 5 pm
    Venice Boat Harbor Office Tiger Pass Road Venice, LA 70091 Mondays through Fridays, 9 am – 6 pm
    SEEDCO Financial Southeast Louisiana Fisheries Assistance Center 212 Avenue G (near Belle Chasse Ferry) Belle Chasse, LA 70037 Monday to Friday, 9 am – 5 pm
    St. Bernard Parish
    Gulf Coast Bank & Trust Company 1801 East Judge Perez Drive Chalmette, LA 70043 Monday to Friday, 9 am – 4 pm
    7801 Hopedale Highway (near the Breton Sound Dock & Marina) Hopedale, LA 70085 Monday to Friday, 9 am – 6 pm
    St. Tammany Parish
    1330 Bayou Lane Trailer 102 Corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Bayou Lane Slidell, LA 70460 Mondays through Fridays, 8 am – 5 pm

    Again, individuals interested in making a claim must call 1-800-440-0858 before visiting a claims center. For more information on your legal rights in this matter, feel free to contact our offices today.

  • What Do Commercial Fishermen Boat Owners need for an Oil Spill Claim?

    In the wake of the BP oil spill that has sent the Gulf Coast into a state of panic, a variety of individuals that derive their livelihood from waterways that may soon be immersed in crude are becoming concerned with how they will continue to stay afloat financially. There is, however, a means in which claims may be made to compensate those who have been affected by the disaster. Oil Spill Losses must be made within three years after the date on which the damage and its connection with the spill was reasonably discoverable with the exercise of due care. This may seem to be an easy process but great care must be taken when submitting the claim in order to prevent a dismissal based solely upon it being improperly filed.

    The process for making a claim has a list of requirements that, when completed, will profile the harms faced and damages incurred. Basically, for the owner of Commercial Fishermen operations in Terrebonne, St. Bernard, Jefferson, Lafourche and Plaquemines Parish, once they are aware of their losses they must present their claims to the responsible parties within three years of that time. In this case, fishermen must submit their claim to BP as owners of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig.

    Certain information is required for all claimants with oil spill losses. Such basic requirements for all oil spill claims are

    1. Photo Identification
    2. Tax Returns from 2007-2009- However claims representatives have indicated they will take fewer years.
    3. Any appropriate licenses (captain licenses, etc.) that someone in that line of work would normally have.

    Also, all commercial fishermen will be required to furnish the following information to present an oil spill claim:

    1. The name of the boat
    2. The license number of the boat
    3. The state of registration
    4. The commercial fishing license
    5. the commercial gear number, and
    6. The Vendor’s sale receipts.

    There is no required format for oil spill claims. The requirements merely stipulate that the claim has to be made in writing. By being as precise and accurate as possible with your claim, the claimant can make the process easier on themselves as well as standing out for the care they took in providing their proof, etc. Utilizing all possible tools to provide claims processors ease in their efforts will provide claimants the best possible opportunity to receive what they are looking for.

    The Berniard Law Firm will be providing sample claims for the various effected parties in future blog posts to help all parties effected by this matter. Please stay tuned to this blog to receive further information regarding the OPA claims handling process.

  • Attorney Jeffrey Berniard Tours Damon Bankston Ship at Port Fourchon

    On Friday afternoon, Jeffrey P. Berniard of the New Orleans-based Berniard Law Firm, LLC, conducted an on-deck inspection of the 263-foot cargo ship, Damon Bankston, which is leased by BP. The ship was used to return some of the rescued crewmembers of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig to BP’s Fourchon Dock Facility after the rig exploded and sank into the Gulf. Seventeen rig workers were injured in the explosion, and eleven workers remain missing and are presumed dead. Mr. Berniard participated in the viewing because he represents numerous plaintiffs who have been affected by the incident. The inspection occurred prior to the ship being cleaned and returned to service in support of ongoing efforts to contain the oil spill. The catastrophe has resulted in the release of more than 200,000 gallons of oil into the Gulf each day since April 20.

    Mr. Berniard is well known in the Louisiana legal community as an expert in personal injury cases and suits against negligent companies. With knowledge regarding the Oil Pollution Act (OPA), a federal law passed in 1990 in response to the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989, his legal representation would help advance anyone affected by the incident. The OPA, though little known to many general-practice attorneys, will play a critically important role in the litigation over the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Assigning liability will be particularly challenging given that numerous companies such as BP, Transocean Ltd., Cameron International Corp., and Halliburton Energy Services were involved in the drilling project. In recognition of his expertise and trial experience, Mr. Berniard has been invited to deliver a Continuing Legal Education seminar on the OPA and legal matters regarding this incident to area attorneys in the coming months.

    Additionally, Mr. Berniard is highly regarded for his skills in complex litigation, including class-actions. He is noted for his efforts to help Louisiana families impacted by defective Chinese Drywall, and in 2009 gave a lecture on the topic at a Continuing Legal Education seminar in New Orleans. Also, following Hurricane Katrina, Mr. Berniard recovered over $45 million in uncompensated damages for his clients.

    If you suffered any damages related to the Deepwater Horizon incident, or in the coming days incur oil removal expenses, you may be entitled to receive compensation from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund or to obtain other monetary relief. Put the disaster litigation experience of the Berniard Law Firm to work for you by calling 504-521-6000.