MONTGOMERY, Alabama – Alabama Attorney General Troy King and members of his staff have met with lawyers for BP to discuss the lawsuit King filed against the company for tax revenue lost by the state because of the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
King described the session in his office today as an “introductory meeting” to go over both side’s positions. King expressed disappointment that Alabama Gov. Bob Riley did not send a representative to the meeting.
King and Riley have disagreed over how to proceed with seeking payments from BP. The governor has filed a $148 million claim against BP and says the suit is delaying collection of the money.
King disagrees. He said both the lawsuit and the governor’s claim were discussed during today’s meeting.
King has said of the state’s lawsuit: “Some will, no doubt, sound the alarm that the lawsuit is premature. As Alabama’s lawyer, I say that if, anything, based on BP’s broken promises, their history of saying one thing and doing another, and now, new information that they have been secretly working to gain a legal advantage, further delay can only further damage our people.”
