Ethics

The following is part of a longer article in Reuters_News@Reuters.com:

Several academics and plaintiffs' attorneys said that, based on Barbier's ruling, settlements already made with the fund could be reevaluated. A court could invalidate the agreements or allow them to be renegotiated if claimants can prove there was deception on the part of the fund, said Monroe Freedman, a professor at Hofstra University School of Law and contributor to the Legal Ethics Forum, a popular legal blog.

The court's opinion makes it clear that Feinberg acted "misleadingly, at best," by saying he was independent of BP, Freedman said. "As a result, tens of thousands of claimants who were effectively defrauded will have the opportunity to open the settlements they entered into." In an e-mail, BP said, "We do not believe that there is any basis to undo or challenge the settlements that have been concluded." Feinberg declined to comment.