The deadline to file a claim for economic loss resulting from the 2010 Gulf Oil Spill is next Monday – June 8th. The Fort Myers, FL, News-Press made a point to note in its story on the impending deadline that “[b]usinesses in Southwest Florida that haven’t filed a claim could be eligible for economic loss compensation, even though the oil rig explosion and resulting spill never marred area beaches.”

 

Though accurate, it is this style of reporting that gets people thinking that litigation is a shortcut to Easy Street. The BP settlement is an anomaly and should be treated as such, not promoted as an invitation to jackpot justice.