Kenneth Feinberg: agent of BP

Thanks to the order of District Judge Carl Barbieri the Gulf Coast Claims Facility - operated by Kenneth Feinberg of Feinberg Rozen - now states squarely that they are "acting for and on behalf of BP".  Feinberg, backed by an opinion letter by ethics maven Stephen Gillers, had been describing himself as "independent".  The site now states

The Gulf Coast Claims Facility ("GCCF") is the official way for Individuals and Businesses to file claims for costs and damages incurred as a result of the oil discharges due to the Deepwater Horizon Incident on April 20, 2010 ("the Spill"). The GCCF is administered by Kenneth R. Feinberg ("the Claims Administrator"), who is responsible for all decisions relating to the administration and processing of claims submitted to the GCCF. Mr. Feinberg and the GCCF are acting for and on behalf of BP Exploration & Production Inc. in fulfilling BP’s statutory obligations as a “responsible party” under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990.

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