New Orleans, LA: Several restaurants from Louisiana and Florida have decided to take a proactive step towards recovery by filing a class action suit against BP plc, BP Products North America, Inc., and BP America, Inc., whom the U.S. Coast Guard has identified as the "responsible party," according to the Oil Pollution Act, for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
The class action, dated May 18, was filed on behalf of several plaintiffs who are restaurant owners and others in the seafood service industry who have or will suffer lost profits as a result of the subsequent oil spill following the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig.
The claim has been filed on behalf of the named plaintiffs as well as all individuals or businesses that own and/or operate restaurants and/or wholesale seafood distributors located in those states that touch and/or border on the Gulf of Mexico. At the time of the filing, the exact amount of these entities was unknown, but estimated at more than 1,000. The named plaintiffs include restaurants and seafood wholesalers in Louisiana and Florida.
The action states that, due to the dangerous environmental contamination as a result of the oil leak, "fishing, shrimping, oystering and other commercial activities have been suspended, and will likely continue to be legally and/or effectively reduced," therefore causing a loss of revenue and earning capacity for these restaurants.
