: In the News - Devasting Decision for Alaska Fishermen
Court slashes judgment in Exxon Valdez disaster
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court today (Wednesday) cut the 2.5 billion punitive damages award in the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster to 500 million.
The court ruled that victims of the worst oil spill in U.S. history may collect punitive damages from Exxon Mobil Corp., but not as much as a federal appeals court determined.
Justice David Souter wrote for the court that punitive damages may not exceed what the company already paid to compensate victims for economic losses.
Exxon asked the high court to reject the punitive damages judgment, saying it already has spent $3.4 billion in response to the accident that fouled 1,200 miles of Alaska coastline.
A jury decided Exxon should pay $5 billion in punitive damages. A federal appeals court cut that verdict in half.
The court divided 5-3, with Justice Samuel Alito taking no part in the case because he owns Exxon stock.
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Exxon has fought vigorously to reduce or erase the punitive damages verdict by a jury in Alaska in 1994 for the accident that dumped 11 million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound.
The environmental disaster led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of seabirds and marine animals.
Nearly 33,000 Alaskans are in line to share in the award, about $15,000 a person. They would have collected $75,000 each under the $2.5 billion judgment. {my note - $15,000 doesn't even cover ONE year's loss, let alone 19. Also, many of these people have died while waiting for this suit to finish}
Exxon comments on Supreme Court ruling
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Exxon Mobil Corporation released a statement after the U.S. Supreme Court today (Wednesday) slashed the punitive damages award in the nation's worst oil spill ever.
Instead of paying $2.5 billion, Exxon Mobil will instead shell out $507.5 million to plaintiffs in the Exxon Valdez spill.
The company statement says, "The Valdez oil spill was a tragic accident and one which the corporation deeply regrets.
"We know this has been a very difficult time for everyone involved. We have worked hard over many years to address the impacts of the spill and to prevent such accidents from happening in our company again
Disappointment in Exxon ruling registered by Congressional delegation & Governor
Alaska's Congressional delegation issued a joint release expressing disappointment with the Exxon Valdez decision.
They believe the court should have allowed the judgment to stand. They said the ruling adds insult to injury to the fishermen, communities and Alaska natives who have been waiting nearly 20 years for proper compensation
As a result, they vowed to redouble efforts to get signed into law the delegation plan to give the 33,000 victims of the oil spill the ability to increase retirement contributions and to provide tax relief through income averaging of the individual settlement amounts.”
Governor Palin's reaction was also one of disappointment.
She said the court "gutted" the jury's decision on punitive damages.
Fish and Game Commissioner Denby Lloyd said the impacts of the 1989 spill on marine life continue to be felt today.
He says it will be years more before fish and wildlife and people full recover from the tragedy.
Lawyer for Alaskans 'shocked' by Supreme Court ruling
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A Minneapolis attorney who represented thousands of Alaskans in the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster says he's shocked by Wednesday's Supreme Court ruling.
The Supreme Court cut the $2.5 billion punitive damages award for the worst oil spill in U.S. history to $500 million.
Justice David Souter wrote for the court that punitive damages may not exceed what the company already paid to compensate victims for economic losses.
The Minneapolis law firm of Faegre & Benson represented the single largest group of the roughly 32,000 plaintiffs in the case.
The lead trial attorney in the case, Brian O'Neill, says those Alaskans won't have money they deserve because the court made law out of whole cloth to help Exxon.
O'Neill also says Exxon never even argued for Souter's ratio between punitive and compensatory damages.
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Information from: St. Paul Pioneer Press, HYPERLINK http://www.twincities.comhttp://www.twincities.com
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Personal use crab fishery won't open in Juneau area
There'll be no personal use red and blue king crab fishery in the Juneau area this summer.
It's closed and won't open as it normally does on July 1, according to Al Tingley who is the Personal Use King Crab Manager in the Juneau area for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
The decision is based on the annual assessment survey for the Juneau area which was completed June 10th.
He says the survey revealed that adult males are at very low levels and young males and all females are at or near their lowest levels on record.
The survey's bottom line came up with a designation of "poor" and a recommended harvest rate of "zero."
Results are poor region wide although surveys are continuing in other areas of Southeast. Tingley says they hope to have the survey completed, results in hand, and decisions made on what to do in those areas by the end of July.
In the meantime he says to go for Golden crab in the Juneau area and throughout the region.
There's a daily bag and possession limit of three male golden king crab per person.
It increases to six in the remaining waters of Region 1 east of the longitude of Cape Spencer.
Court slashes judgment in Exxon Valdez disaster
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court today (Wednesday) cut the 2.5 billion punitive damages award in the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster to 500 million.
The court ruled that victims of the worst oil spill in U.S. history may collect punitive damages from Exxon Mobil Corp., but not as much as a federal appeals court determined.
Justice David Souter wrote for the court that punitive damages may not exceed what the company already paid to compensate victims for economic losses.
Exxon asked the high court to reject the punitive damages judgment, saying it already has spent $3.4 billion in response to the accident that fouled 1,200 miles of Alaska coastline.
A jury decided Exxon should pay $5 billion in punitive damages. A federal appeals court cut that verdict in half.
The court divided 5-3, with Justice Samuel Alito taking no part in the case because he owns Exxon stock.
---
Exxon has fought vigorously to reduce or erase the punitive damages verdict by a jury in Alaska in 1994 for the accident that dumped 11 million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound.
The environmental disaster led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of seabirds and marine animals.
Nearly 33,000 Alaskans are in line to share in the award, about $15,000 a person. They would have collected $75,000 each under the $2.5 billion judgment. {my note - $15,000 doesn't even cover ONE year's loss, let alone 19. Also, many of these people have died while waiting for this suit to finish}
Exxon comments on Supreme Court ruling
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Exxon Mobil Corporation released a statement after the U.S. Supreme Court today (Wednesday) slashed the punitive damages award in the nation's worst oil spill ever.
Instead of paying $2.5 billion, Exxon Mobil will instead shell out $507.5 million to plaintiffs in the Exxon Valdez spill.
The company statement says, "The Valdez oil spill was a tragic accident and one which the corporation deeply regrets.
"We know this has been a very difficult time for everyone involved. We have worked hard over many years to address the impacts of the spill and to prevent such accidents from happening in our company again
Disappointment in Exxon ruling registered by Congressional delegation & Governor
Alaska's Congressional delegation issued a joint release expressing disappointment with the Exxon Valdez decision.
They believe the court should have allowed the judgment to stand. They said the ruling adds insult to injury to the fishermen, communities and Alaska natives who have been waiting nearly 20 years for proper compensation
As a result, they vowed to redouble efforts to get signed into law the delegation plan to give the 33,000 victims of the oil spill the ability to increase retirement contributions and to provide tax relief through income averaging of the individual settlement amounts.”
Governor Palin's reaction was also one of disappointment.
She said the court "gutted" the jury's decision on punitive damages.
Fish and Game Commissioner Denby Lloyd said the impacts of the 1989 spill on marine life continue to be felt today.
He says it will be years more before fish and wildlife and people full recover from the tragedy.
Lawyer for Alaskans 'shocked' by Supreme Court ruling
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A Minneapolis attorney who represented thousands of Alaskans in the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster says he's shocked by Wednesday's Supreme Court ruling.
The Supreme Court cut the $2.5 billion punitive damages award for the worst oil spill in U.S. history to $500 million.
Justice David Souter wrote for the court that punitive damages may not exceed what the company already paid to compensate victims for economic losses.
The Minneapolis law firm of Faegre & Benson represented the single largest group of the roughly 32,000 plaintiffs in the case.
The lead trial attorney in the case, Brian O'Neill, says those Alaskans won't have money they deserve because the court made law out of whole cloth to help Exxon.
O'Neill also says Exxon never even argued for Souter's ratio between punitive and compensatory damages.
---
Information from: St. Paul Pioneer Press, HYPERLINK http://www.twincities.comhttp://www.twincities.com
**************************
Personal use crab fishery won't open in Juneau area
There'll be no personal use red and blue king crab fishery in the Juneau area this summer.
It's closed and won't open as it normally does on July 1, according to Al Tingley who is the Personal Use King Crab Manager in the Juneau area for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
The decision is based on the annual assessment survey for the Juneau area which was completed June 10th.
He says the survey revealed that adult males are at very low levels and young males and all females are at or near their lowest levels on record.
The survey's bottom line came up with a designation of "poor" and a recommended harvest rate of "zero."
Results are poor region wide although surveys are continuing in other areas of Southeast. Tingley says they hope to have the survey completed, results in hand, and decisions made on what to do in those areas by the end of July.
In the meantime he says to go for Golden crab in the Juneau area and throughout the region.
There's a daily bag and possession limit of three male golden king crab per person.
It increases to six in the remaining waters of Region 1 east of the longitude of Cape Spencer.