Disclaimer: This is not a post about BP gulf oil spill. BP is in the news for what looks to be another very expensive problem on their hands – a $10 billion lawsuit over the company’s Texas refinery emissions. The class action claims that the refinery released 500,000 pounds of pollutants, including benzene, during spring of this year. The BP class action was filed Tuesday by Texas-based attorney Anthony Buzbee. In addition to a 40-day delay in alterting city officials to the leak, the class action alleges that the pollutants have affected the health and property values of the people who live and work in the area surrounding the refinery.

Health complaints include: allergic reactions, siunus infections, headaches, nosebleeds, and other symptions consistent with exposure to a noxious substance, reports the Houston Chronicle. The Texas refinery, the third largest in the U.S., has been on probation for a felony enviornment conviction relating to a 2005 explosion that killed 15, and caused a similar release of benzene and other toxins into the local community.

As the name implies, a class action is a lawsuit in which a group of people with the same or similar injuries sue the defendant as a group. In cases involving mass torts, effeciency in bringing one, as opposed to thousands of individual actions, can be helpful both for the plaintiffs and defendants. Thousands of people have flocked to parking lots, conference rooms, and city hall to learn more about the suit and become members in this quickly growing BP class action.

Related Resources:

  • Workers Sue BP for $10B! (And No, It’s Not Because of the Gulf Oil Spill) (CBS’s Bnet)
  • Chef Susan Spicer Brings Class Action Against BP (FindLaw’s Free Enterprise)
  • Oil Spill Related Resources (FindLaw)
  • Personal Injury Overview (provided by The Donahey Law Firm)
  • Examples of Class Action Cases (provided by Rush & Gransee, L.C.)

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