The Deepwater Horizon BP settlement claims process has taken a life of its own. Upset about how the claims process has turned out, lawyers for BP have appealed their own settlement agreement twice to the 5th Circuit. Both times, the 5th Circuit has appeared to side with BP. Outlandish as it may seem, BP is trying to have a settlement that they vetted and agreed to, that District Judge Barbier approved, and a settlement that they stuck to for over a year, thrown out.
BP's main argument is that there has to be causation in a settlement agreement. I think that this is ludicrous-how could any party settle any lawsuit for any conceivable controversy if the plaintiff has to prove causation. For more on the latest in this legal odyssey, see The Times Picayune/nola.com article below:
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/12/5th_circuit_orders_temporary_h.html#incart_m-rpt-2
