Gulf County, Fla. Seeks Court Order Requiring BP to Acknowledge and Fund their Emergency Disaster Plan necessitated by DEEPWATER HORIZON Oil Spill

TALLAHASSEE, FL (May 18, 2010)— “Gulf County, Florida became the first governmental entity in the United States to seek injunctive relief against BP for the DEEPWATER HORIZON Oil Spill, demanding that the corporation be responsible for funding the county’s emergency preparedness plan to which BP has not responded in a timely and sufficient manner,” said Gulf Oil Disaster Recovery Group Counsel Stuart H. Smith and Florida Attorneys Bob McKee, Skip Campbell and local counsel Jim Appleman.



The Gulf Oil Disaster Recovery Group (GODR) is already representing Gulf County, along with commercial fisherman and environmental activists in the Gulf region, after the Gulf County Commission decided Monday, May 17 to hire the firm because of its strong litigation capacity and solid foundation of knowledge in the field of marine disasters. The GODR is the only group of attorneys to have won injunctive relief in court for commercial fisherman and citizens of the Gulf Coast against BP, protecting their legal rights and demanding proper training and protective equipment for individuals that BP engages in the oil catastrophe’s cleanup efforts.



The Fort Lauderdale firm of Krupnick Campbell Malone Buser Slama Hancock Liberman & McKee filed the Temporary Restraining Order today in the 14th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida.



“The area expected to be affected by the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill is much greater than for the Exxon Valdez spill, putting at risk multiple industries, including tourism and the Gulf fisheries,” said Bob McKee, co-counsel for GODR. “Gulf County needed to be proactive in protecting its citizens.”



Gulf County encompasses an area of 559 square miles and is home to more than 15,000 residents. Mr. McKee said BP’s attempt to dictate to Gulf County with regard to the emergency action plan shall not be permitted under the law. The County seeks full reimbursement for the cost it incurs for their emergency action plan and cost of mitigating and cleaning up the DEEPWATER HORIZON catastrophe.



“We are asking that BP formally and publicly retract statements it has made that it would not fund the Gulf County emergency plan unless it had prior approval of activities,” Mr. McKee said. “BP is liable for this catastrophe, and Gulf County officials are acting appropriately on behalf of their residents and businesses.”



For more information about GODR and the legal case against BP, go to: www.gulfoildisasterrecovery.com or call 888-508-3423

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