BP Oil Spill
BP has halted its efforts to block future legal claims by giving fishermen $5,000 checks in exchange for agreement not to sue over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, a top executive said today. BP CEO Tony Hayward told that distributing the contracts was "an early misstep" that has been halted. "We will absolutely be paying for the cleanup operation. There's no doubt about that," Hayward told NPR. "Where legitimate claims are made, we will be good for them." Alabama Attorney General Troy King had said the contracts essentially required that people give up their legal rights in exchange for the $5,000 payment, the Mobile Press-Register reported. The contracts required the fishermen to waive their right to sue BP and required confidentiality, sparking protests in Louisiana and elsewhere. Darren Beaudo, a spokesman for BP, said the waiver requirement had been stripped out, and that ones already signed would not be enforced. Hayward said the company would pay "all legitimate claims" filed by Gulf Coast residents. Hayward said 700 fishing vessels are being used to fight the oil spill and 3,000 people have signed up for those efforts.