Well over 200 seafood workers turned out at the Franklin County courthouse Annex last Thursday to hear what a group of Miami attorneys had to say in relation to the ongoing Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
The attorneys, including David Rash, were there to answer questions and to sign up seafood workers interested in having legal representation when dealing with BP Oil which is in charge of the ongoing oil spill cleanup effort. Mister Rash’s law firm is already representing the City of Apalachicola as well local businesses the Blue Parrot and Water Street Seafood which belong to his brother Steve Rash.
The attorneys said they are trying to get as many clients as possible because that gives them more leverage when dealing with a huge firm like BP.
Local fishermen are already discovering the intricacies of dealing with a large multi-national company. On Saturday BP held a vessel of opportunity class in Apalachicola to teach local boat owners the basics of dealing with oil spills. In order to take the class, seafood workers were asked to sign an agreement which included a confidentiality clause – something the attorneys said people should be very wary about signing.
The attorneys also pointed that everyone should be keeping records of any financial losses they incur because of the oil spill, even if the oil doesn’t come to our area. They pointed out that some local people are already feeling the effects; shuckers can’t shuck because there is almost no Louisiana product coming in to the county, and even local oystermen are seeing a drop in orders because there is the misconception in the country that Gulf Coast seafood is covered in BP oil.
Hotels, restaurants and other businesses have also reported cancellations from people concerned about the oil in the Gulf.
And Mister Rash’s firm is not the only one looking for clients in Franklin County right now. As the seafood workers were meeting last Thursday, a second law firm stood by the front door of the courthouse annex passing out business cards and a third firm has scheduled a meeting for this Thursday at the Apalachicola Community Center to meet with anyone interested in seeking legal representation.
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