NEW ORLEANS — BP said Monday it has uncovered new allegations of fraud and conflicts of interest inside the settlement program that has awarded billions of dollars to Gulf Coast businesses and residents for damage from the company’s 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
BP attorneys outlined the allegations in a court filing, which asks a federal judge to temporarily suspend settlement payments while former FBI Director Louis Freeh leads an independent investigation of the court-supervised settlement program.
BP said at least two lawyers who have ruled on appeals of disputed settlement awards were partners at law firms that have represented claimants and filed claims of their own for the firms to be compensated. BP said it learned of allegations that a worker at the settlement program at its Mobile, Ala., center helped people submit fraudulent claims in exchange for a portion of the awards.
