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Gulf spill fund czar paying for ethics advice
In a letter to Feinberg, Gillers wrote: "You are not in an attorney-client relationship with BP. You are an independent administrator and owe none of the attributes of the attorney-client relationship (e.g.,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych],[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], loyalty,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych],[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], confidentiality) to BP. By 'independent' I mean (and I think the context is clear) that you are independent of BP. You are not subject to its direction or control."
Spokeswoman Debra DeShong Reed couldn't say how much Gillers is being paid,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], only that it will be an hourly rate.
"We're waiting for the invoice," Reed said. "We've agreed to pay whatever it costs."
Reed said neither Feinberg nor the fund have any past relationship with Gillers. She said he was chosen because he is a nationally recognized expert in the field of legal ethics.
She referred further questions to Gillers, who did not immediately return calls from the AP.
Lawyers who have already filed more than 300 lawsuits on behalf of Gulf residents and businesses say Feinberg should stop calling himself independent.
They asked a federal judge last week to order changes to the release form people must sign if they accept a final payment from Feinberg.
Feinberg currently requires people who accept final payments to agree not to sue BP or any other responsible party, including companies involved with the Deepwater Horizon rig that exploded April 20 off Louisiana's coast.
The blast killed 11 workers and led to 200 million gallons of oil spewing from BP's well a mile beneath the Gulf of Mexico, according to government estimates that BP disputes.
The lawyers say people should only have to give up the right to sue BP for compensatory damages,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], but they should still be allowed to go after BP in court for punitive damages. And,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], the lawyers say, people who accept final payments from the fund should be allowed to sue other responsible parties for both compensatory and punitive damages.
So far, the fund has paid out roughly $2.6 billion.
Money left over in the fund is expected to be returned to BP.