MDL Judge Limits Contacts Between Feinberg and Claimants Who Retain Counsel

NEW ORLEANS - U.S. District Judge Carl J. Barbier has concluded that neither the Gulf Coast Claims Facility nor administrator Kenneth Feinberg are independent of BP and has ordered them to refrain from contacting Deepwater Horizon claimants who have retained counsel. In re: Oil Spill by the Oil Rig "Deepwater Horizon" in the Gulf of Mexico, on April 20, 2010, MDL No. 2179 (E.D. La.).

The presiding judge in the Deepwater Horizon MDL on Feb. 2 sided with member of the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee who challenged attorney Feinberg's independence in administering payments for claims arising from the explosion and spill. …