Spill deal leaves matters unsettled for some

Danny Hatcher had more questions than answers after he got a letter explaining proposed compensation for persistent respiratory problems and fatigue he attributes to working on a cleanup crew after the 2010 Gulf oil spill. “I got something in the mail about some kind of medical program,” Hatcher, 56, a former oil rig deckhand who spent several months cleaning up beach debris and vacuuming oil from water in Venice and Grand Isle, tells The Houston Chronicle. The letter described a settlement between BP, the oil company whose blown-out Macondo well triggered the spill, and a committee of lawyers representing individuals and businesses with claims arising from the disaster. He is one of thousands of individuals who are struggling to understand and make decisions about the medical settlement between BP and the plaintiffs’ steering committee, which would replace an earlier compensation system called the Gulf Coast Claims Facility. He has to decide whether to participate in the settlement, which has yet to be approved by a federal judge overseeing spill-related litigation, or opt out and take his chances with an individual lawsuit. People who accept the settlement would retain the right to sue for spill-related illnesses that develop later, but only for actual medical expenses, not punitive damages. Read the full story here.