Fluor Corp., an Irving, Texas-based engineering firm, has filed a lawsuit in Harris County district court against BP for millions of dollars, claiming breach of contract.
The lawsuit claims that when a Fluor subsidiary agreed to help the oil giant clean up pollution in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, BP agreed to protect it against legal expenses. Now, several lawsuits and claims related to the Deepwater Horizon spill have been filed against Plant Performance Services (at that time, Fluor’s logistics and personnel support subsidiary), but BP has refused to compensate the company for its legal expenses, according to the lawsuit.
Plant Performance Services was sold to Fuel Streamers Group in June 2011.
Many of the lawsuits against Plant Performance Services were filed by beach cleanup workers who said that they were exposed to hazardous materials and that the company misrepresented how long the work was expected to last. Fluor claims the contract with BP began on May 5, 2010, but beach cleanup work was canceled before workers expected to be let go.
In the lawsuit, Fluor claimed that it has already paid $2.1 million in claims and is seeking compensation from BP for past, present and future claims.
BP has spent over $14 billion on the Gulf Coast cleanup and is expected to face $18 billion in fines.
Gregory D. Jordan is an Austin Oil and Gas attorney. To learn more, visit http://www.theaustintriallawyer.com or call 512-419-0684.
