115 settlements approved in BP Texas City Refinery litigation
  by: OilOnline
  Monday, October 16, 2006

Galveston, TX ... The Buzbee Law Firm announces that all of the firm's clients with legal claims arising out of the catastrophic explosion at the BP Texas City refinery in March 2005 have approved settlements with BP and other defendants.

According to Tony Buzbee, managing partner of the Buzbee Law Firm, agreements were reached in 52 federal and 63 state cases just days after a federal judge ruled that plaintiffs' counsel could obtain deposition testimony from BP CEO Lord John Browne at company headquarters in London. BP representatives had asked to resume settlement negotiations after the court's ruling, Mr. Buzbee said.

The settlements bring to 159 the number of BP Texas City-related cases successfully resolved by the Buzbee Law Firm, most of them on behalf of injured refinery employees and contractors.

Mr. Buzbee stated, "Many of our clients' lives were forever changed by the explosion. They looked forward to their day in court, but these settlements enable them to move ahead with certainty and security. They have the satisfaction of having earned the full attention of Lord Browne and BP with this litigation."

The federal case is "Rodriguez v. BP Amoco Chemical Company, et al.," (C.A. No. G-05-543, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Galveston Division). The state case is "Arenazas, et al. v. BP Products North America Inc., et al.," (Cause No. 05-CV-0337, 212th District Court, Galveston County, Texas)."