A recent NLJ story, “Under Fire, Two BP Objectors’ Lawyers Withdraw,” reports that professional fee objectors Ted Frank and Darrell Palmer have withdrawn their appeals of two settlements with BP over the Deepwater Horizon oil spill after plaintiffs lawyers moved to dismiss the challenge on the ground that the objectors weren’t actually class members.  Frank and Palmer were fired by several of their former clients due to their “unauthorized and unapproved actions and conduct.”

Plaintiffs’ lawyers who obtained two settlements with BP PLC over the Deepwater Horizon oil spill have accused Frank and Palmer of filing appeals on behalf of plaintiffs who aren’t legitimate class members.  Discovery revealed the objectors weren’t class members of the $9.6 billion settlement either because their properties fell outside the geographic scope of the deal, class counsel wrote in their Oct. 31 motion with the Fifth Circuit.

“It appears that professional fee objectors tried to leach onto the $9.6 billion BP settlement fund by trolling for class members that weren’t actually class members.  This is just another example that professional fee objectors don’t work for class members,” said Terry Jesse, Executive Director of NALFA.

For more on this case, visit http://www.laed.uscourts.gov/OilSpill/OilSpill.htm