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Saturday, April 20, 2024

BP attorney criticizes plaintiff attorneys' mode of questioning in oil spill depositions

Langan

BP attorney Andrew Langan called plaintiff attorney questions have been "repetitive, irrelevant, and sometimes harassing" during depositions of BP witnesses.

Langan expressed his concerns in a letter to Magistrate Judge Sally Shushan, who is helping coordinate depositions in the massive multidistrict litigation (MDL) surrounding the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

The letter objects to a Plaintiff's Steering Committee (PSC) request for two-day depositions of four BP employees.

Despite the objections, BP agreed to two-day depositions for three of the four BP employees.

BP objects to the two-day deposition of employee Jay Thorseth who "had very few responsibilities related to" oil spill cleanup and adding a second day of depositions "will result in scheduling havoc and staffing issues for many parties."

Langan's comments run in contrast to recent statements by U.S. District Judge Barbier at the most recent BP MDL status conference.

Barbier remarked on July 8 that plaintiff and defense attorneys' "cooperation and civility and professionalism...exceeded my expectations."

Federal MDL 2:10-md-2179

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