By Eileen Fleming
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wwno/local-wwno-949788.mp3
New Orleans, La. – Governor Jindal and state Attorney General Buddy Caldwell say the Gulf Coast Claims Facility shouldn't block victims from the court system in exchange for a final damage claim. Jindal and Caldwell say it's not fair, and it's not legal. Claims Administrator Kenneth Feinberg says people can keep their right to sue and take an emergency claims payment. But his program aims to keep cases out of the court system. Since taking over the $20 billion dollar fund from BP in August, about $3-and-a-half billion dollars has been paid to individuals and businesses hurt by the spill. A federal judge in New Orleans is overseeing hundreds of consolidated lawsuits filed against BP.
For WWNO, I'm Eileen Fleming.