New Orleans Sues BP

NEW ORLEANS (CN) - New Orleans, five other Louisiana cities and two parishes sued BP, Transocean and the other oil spill defendants this week, as the statute of limitations is expiring.

The statute of limitations for the rig manufacturer ends today (Wednesday), on the first year anniversary of the oil rig explosion that unleashed the worst oil spill in U.S. history.

All of the above-mentioned filings are brief and ask for the usual damages, without calculations of monetary damages.

Among the damages sought are lost sales and lost income and taxes from sale of property, gasoline, franchise fees and other tax revenue.

Damages are also sought for diminution of property value, future costs for monitoring the environment and cleanup and removal of oil.

The governments seek costs for monitoring of citizens' health and treatment of physical and emotional problems related to the spill.

They also seek damages for the increased costs of promotions to attract tourism, to borrow money and the increase in debt service as a result of reduced revenue due to the oil spill.

And they seek damages for "the increased cost to educate children affected by the oil spill and moratorium."

U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier in New Orleans is presiding over something in the neighborhood of 60,000 oil spill-related claims in the consolidated oil spill litigation.

Filing claims this week were the cities of New Orleans, Gretna, Harahan, Westwego, the towns of Grand Isle and Jean Lafitte, and Plaquemines and Jefferson Parishes.

Parishes in Louisiana are the equivalent of other states' counties.

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