LAFAYETTE, LA (AP) — The Lafayette Consolidated Government may hire a New Orleans law firm to handle negotiations for a settlement payment from BP for economic losses resulting from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster.
Several public entities in the state already have reached settlement agreements, but Lafayette's claim for a share of the BP pie has yet to be resolved. The city-parish filed a claim in 2013.
Lafayette officials have declined to talk about how much money they are seeking or any aspect of the negotiations — including how it will be spent.
City-Parish Council Chairman Kenneth Boudreaux tells The Advocate’s Richard Burgess he is reluctant to even consider how any extra cash might be spent, considering the uncertainty of the settlement.
Officials say the law firm's fee would be up to 15 percent of any payout.
