Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis and Miles, P.C. has filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of plaintiff Horace Walton, whose daughter, Jennifer Leanne Walton, was killed on October 3, 2010, when the 1987 Dodge 15-passenger van in which she was a passenger rolled over several times and crashed. The van became uncontrollable after the tread on a rear tire separated, causing the tire to fail. The complaint (57-CV-2010-900201.00), filed today in the Circuit Court for Russell County, Alabama, alleges products liability, failure to warn, negligence and wantonness for the unsafe conditions of the van and tire. Defendants include Chrysler Group, L.L.C., Chrysler Group Vans, L.L.C., and R&J Tire Co. Inc.

Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C. has been selected for inclusion in the 2010 Best Law Firms ranking. This is the inaugural publication of this highly anticipated national analysis, which will be compiled annually by U.S. News Media Group and Best Lawyers. Beasley Allen was given a Metropolitan First-Tier ranking in the areas of Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs, and Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. Beasley Allen also received a Metropolitan Tier 2 ranking for Health Care Law in Montgomery. Rankings will be featured in the October print issue of U.S. News & World Report.

MONTGOMERY, ALA. (September 1, 2010) - Ken Feinberg, with help from BP, developed a plan which was supposed to compensate individuals and businesses who have suffered losses as a result of the BP oil spill. Section 3 of the official claims protocol specifically restricts contact between the Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF) and claimants who have hired legal counsel. 

MONTGOMERY, ALA. (August 24, 2010)  - "On behalf of the clients we represent, I wrote Ken Feinberg today and asked that he answer a number of questions concerning his role in the oil spill disaster claims process. It appears that Mr. Feinberg favors BP and other potential defendants in the protocol he has developed. I question who he is really working for?"

MONTGOMERY, ALA. (August 23, 2010)  - Thirteen Beasley Allen attorneys were selected for inclusion in the 2011 edition of Best Lawyers®.  Best Lawyers is the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession.

New documents were released today that shed some light on how BP will distribute funds to compensate people who were damaged as a result of the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It is abundantly clear now that the $20 billion fund is grossly inadequate to fully compensate the thousands of claimants who have suffered losses and will continue to suffer losses and be damaged for years to come as a result of the spill. The protocols for the compensation fund will require people and businesses to waive their rights to sue BP and other companies involved in the disaster. This will be detrimental for claimants who cannot determine at this time the full impact of the oil spill on them.

The Judicial Panel on Multi-District Litigation decided today that more than 300 suits filed since the April 20 rig explosion will be heard in New Orleans, La. U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier will preside. Lawsuits include personal injury claims that resulted from the deadly blast on the oil rig "Deepwater Horizon," damages to those who have experienced illness from contact with the oil dispersant as well as loss of income and property value.

Alabama plaintiffs firm Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles has filed another class action lawsuit against BP and other companies related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  The lawsuit, which was announced Thursday and alleges negligence and wanton misconduct, also names Haliburton and Cameron International as defendants.

According to the petition, the firm seeks to, "represent property owners and rental agencies that have incurred damages related to the disaster, including: real property damages; personal property damages; loss of profits and earning capacity; loss of commercial and subsistence use of natural resources; increased costs of public services; and, loss of revenues."

Beasley Allen has filed a class action lawsuit in Circuit Court of Montgomery, Alabama, on behalf of a local woman, individually and as a class representative against Defendants Colonial Management Group, L.P.; Colonial GP, L.P.; and Montgomery Liquidating Professional Corporation d/b/a Montgomery Metro Treatment Center; and Gilberto Sanchez, M.D.

The company that owns the now-sunken drilling rig oozing oil into the Gulf of Mexico is counting on a 150-year-old maritime law to limit its damages. To a mere $26.7 million.

That's how much Transocean Ltd. said it should pay in a motion filed on Thursday in federal court in the Southern District of Texas. Citing an 1851 law aimed at shipping mishaps, Transocean said its damages should be limited to $26.7 million in unpaid drilling fees earned before the April 20 explosion, noting the Deepwater Horizon rig is otherwise worth nothing now.