Paul M. Hebert Law Center Chancellor Jack Weiss will select the judges who will hear large appeals from reimbursement claims resulting from the BP oil spill.
“I’m very honored to be selected to carry out this important responsibility,” Weiss said.
Weiss was chosen by Kenneth Feinberg, the chief administrator of the Gulf Coast Claims Facility, the federal organization tasked with distributing the $20 billion the oil giant has set aside to pay those affected by last summer’s Deepwater Horizon disaster.
“[Weiss] brings decades of experience to this assignment, both as a nationally recognized law professor and administrator,” Feinberg said in a news release. “I am confident that I have chosen the right person for the job.”
GCCF protocol calls for the administrator to select a “distinguished member of the legal profession” who will “identify distinguished members of the legal community (e.g., retired federal or state judges, respected legal academics, professional mediators or arbitrators) to serve as impartial GCCF Appeals Judges,” according to the GCCF website.
The judges Weiss selects will hear appeals from claimants seeking $250,000 from the fund.
“My job is simple — select capable, impartial individuals to hear these appeals,” Weiss said.
Weiss made clear he will not hear any appeals relating to the spill himself — he is simply picking the judges who will.
Weiss said he has already started looking for potential judges. He hopes to have a roster within 60 days.
The GCCF was formed in June 2010 after BP announced it would pay $20 billion to reimburse those along the Gulf Coast who suffered damage or lost work because of the spill.
BP promised to “make things right” for those impacted by the spill. The company has challenged some claimants seeking damages for indirect losses.
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Contact Matthew Albright at
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