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The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

2014

Environment

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Citizen Suits And The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: An Assessment Of Multidistrict Litigation And The Fifth Circuit Court Of Appeals' Decision In Center For Biological Diversity, Inc. V. Bp America Production Co., Johnathan Ashton Jan 2014

Citizen Suits And The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: An Assessment Of Multidistrict Litigation And The Fifth Circuit Court Of Appeals' Decision In Center For Biological Diversity, Inc. V. Bp America Production Co., Johnathan Ashton

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 brought numerous environmental lawsuits in the United States as a result of the destruction of local economies whose livelihood relied on the now damaged ecosystems. Due to negligence by two of the highest-ranking supervisors, BP pled guilty to criminal charges brought against them. Their actions resulted in the deaths of eleven men working on the rig when it exploded, as well as the resulting oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico. This plea resulted in four billion dollars of fines and penalties. However, this case proved that private citizens need a way to …