PASCAGOULA, Miss – Documents provided by the administrator of BP’s claims fund for Gulf oil spill victims show the oil giant agreed to increase his law firm’s monthly compensation from $850,000 to $1.25 million.
Last week, Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange accused Feinberg of dragging his feet until victims are so desperate they will settle for anything. Feinberg called those claims unfounded.
The documents furnished to The Associated Press include a letter from former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey to claims czar Kenneth Feinberg. Mukasey stated his belief that the extra money was warranted because Feinberg’s duties had grown.
Feinberg has been criticized for the pace of processing of the roughly 500,000 claims that have been filed since he took over handling claims for individuals and businesses from the $20 billion fund in August. Fishermen and others have complained the money they have received is inadequate, and that in many cases their claims have been denied with little explanation.
