Arnold & Itkin LLP Forms Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Task Force to Investigate Damage Claims

Arnold & Itkin LLP representing several victims of the explosion, which is one of the worst oil spills in U.S. history. The firm, which focuses on maritime and admiralty law, has invested extensive resources in initial discovery and investigation of the explosion’s causes and its growing consequences. By bringing together investigators, environmental experts and financial consultants for the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Task Force, Arnold & Itkin LLP hopes to assist not only those directly injured by the explosion but also the countless businesses and individuals whose livelihood and property are now threatened by its aftermath.

“We are working closely with this investigative task force to collect information and assess what we believe will be immense and far-reaching damage to the commercial fishing and tourism industries along the Gulf Coast, as well as damages to property owners,” said Kurt Arnold, a partner in Arnold & Itkin.

Experts estimate that as much as 210,000 gallons of crude oil have leaked into the Gulf of Mexico each day since the April 20 explosion and fire off the coast of Louisiana.

The oil spill, coming from a broken pipe nearly 5,000 feet under water, has created an oil slick covering an estimated 2,500 square miles.

BP, which leased the rig from Transocean Deepwater Drilling, Inc., has been unable to stop the oil from leaking, news reports say.

The oil has started to wash ashore in areas throughout Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Alabama, where petroleum toxicity and oxygen depletion could wreak significant harm on the fish and wildlife habit, according to environmental scientists.

In early May, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration began closing down commercial and recreational fishing in federal waters off the Gulf Coast.

“The seafood and tourism industries play a vital role in the Gulf Coast economy, and we know those industries are suffering right now as a result of this disaster. We believe the time is now to form this task force and start preserving the evidence and collecting the information that will give us a clear picture of just how much damage has been caused and continues to be caused every day that the leak continues,” said Jason Itkin, a partner in Arnold & Itkin.

“We hope this task force can help fix the environmental problems and ensure that those who are accountable for the leaks are held fully accountable.”

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