BP Took Advantage Of Cleanup Workers, Lawsuit Says

NEW ORLEANS — Three workers who helped BP in its oil spill cleanup efforts after last year's disaster accuse the oil giant in a federal lawsuit of denying them overtime pay and other benefits.

The suit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in New Orleans seeks a notice to allow others with similar complaints to join in the action.

The initial plaintiffs, Jon Brewer, Nathan Cohen and Quentin Doyle, say they were among tens of thousands of workers who were assigned to do cleanup work along the Gulf Coast following the April 20, 2010, disaster off Louisiana.

They say BP and The Response Group LLC, a Cypress, Texas, business, misclassified them as independent contractors and denied them overtime.

The plaintiffs seek back pay, damages and attorneys' fees.

Comments

[builderman55]

12:43 AM on 02/20/2011

No, say it isn't so!!!

[Meesterclean]

11:21 AM on 02/18/2011

Don't forget to sue them for the Corexit exposure that has left all the clean up workers exposed to it during the clean up of the Exxon Valdez disaster no longer living today.

[Carl Caroli]

08:27 AM on 02/18/2011

Shocking! Who'da thought BP would cut corners?

[big tom]

06:13 AM on 02/18/2011

the old independent contractor trick again?

[planetjeffy]

04:34 AM on 02/18/2011

This lawsuit doesn't bother BP - since the cleanup workers will all beDead in 10 - 20 years.

[jaredbrain]

10:07 AM on 02/18/2011

and the Gulf of Mexico even sooner

[AlienC]

01:34 AM on 02/18/2011

Corporations, the citizen that never dies.

[Keith Ward]

12:18 PM on 02/20/2011

They're only citizens in the eyes of the Supreme Court.

[AgingLady]

09:19 PM on 02/17/2011

BP paid no attention to safety of the rig and the employees there and the process and product for which they were responsible. Clean up? Are you kidding. What is clean up? That was only for show -- media show. They just want their lives back, and their investors just want their dividends back. They spent a lot on ads and lied thru their teeth about how much they cared and would be there for the duration. Nothing new. SOP

[Ordinary Citizen]

07:50 PM on 02/17/2011

Say it isn't so!
Big Oil taking advantage of the little guy? Really...it just can't be!
Don't forget to add in our government officials who work hard to take advantage of the little guy by not taking a stand on these pricks. Next thing ya know...a judge (who has BP stock) will throw it out of court...he works hard for the little guy too.

[Derek Spisak]

07:37 PM on 02/17/2011

Only MSM can bring this to the forefront again... "Mr President, are you happy how BP has "made this right?" Are you happy with the claims process? do you feel this has been fair to those negatively impacted".

Where is Helen Thomas when you need her?

[AbstractImp]

07:19 PM on 02/17/2011

It is so very unfortunate that this was not properly and directly addressed at the time these outrages were perpetrated.

[Derek Spisak]

07:33 PM on 02/17/2011

They were properly addressed in the manner to administration wanted them to proceed... "just go away"...

Adding insult to injury, BP has now said that GCCF is being too generous in their calculations for payments of losses.

This is a cluster, and it was purposely designed to be a cluster...

[kenhamlett]

07:11 PM on 02/17/2011

I am shocked. BP did something disreputable? But, wait, we left them completely in control of the cleanup, so I know that we must have had assurances that they would do everything completely above board. Would a corporation lie to the government? No, surely not, especially when that government did not bother to intervene to check on what BP was really doing. This whole situation is not surprising, but it is tragic.

[omobob]

04:17 PM on 02/17/2011

Alaskans have been waiting for over 20 years for Exxon to pay off. The Corporations understand that they will still be standing when the plaintiffs are dead and buried. Good things come to those who wait. Like your lawsuit being dismissed because of natural causes. evil genius.

[mmike1969]

04:08 PM on 02/17/2011

And this surprises anyone because???

[Jamf]

04:22 PM on 02/17/2011

That's exactly what I was going to say. Therefore, you need to be fanned.

[QuantProgrammer]

04:04 PM on 02/17/2011

Does anyone know why this $50K lawsuit in the face of a $20B cleanup is newsworthy?

[LORISNJ]

05:33 PM on 02/17/2011

Because it involves real people who have been cheated out of money that was legally owed to them and that could affect many others who were also cheated out of monies DUE them. What is more important than that?

[Ordinary Citizen]

07:56 PM on 02/17/2011

You'll have to forgive him he know not what he says. What he doesn't understand because he doesn't feel cheated at the pump yet and its clear news about suffering working stiffs (or not working stiffs) is no big deal to him....WAIT I GOT IT...HE IS ONE OF THEM. OH I clearly understand now.

[D Right One]

10:11 AM on 02/18/2011

$50K is a lot of money to a lot of people. BP's trickery needs to be exposed.