Deepwater Horizon Good Samaritans

Immediately following the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon, emergency response vessels rushed to the rig to save lives and render assistance to those in peril. In the ensuing months, responder companies worked to clean up the oil that was pouring into the gulf in an effort to mitigate the spill. As a consequence of these efforts to help in the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history, these emergency and cleanup responders now find themselves entwined in complex and protracted specialized multi-district litigation ("MDL"), despite the fact that protections were put in place following lessons learned from the Exxon Valdez specifically to prevent such occurrences.

Background on the Good Samaritan Law under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 ("OPA 90")