Whistleblower takes BP to court for oil spill cover-up
Thursday 26 January 2012
Printable
EmailA FORMER BP employee has filed a lawsuit against the company claiming he was fired for raising concerns about the cleanup after the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
In a suit filed last Friday in New Orleans, August Walter claims that his boss manipulated data on the cleanup in Mississippi and didn't give the Coast Guard "the true status" of what substances needed to be cleaned.
Mr Walter, who helped develop BP's cleanup plans in Mississippi after the 2010 spill, claims that he was fired last month in retaliation for blowing the whistle on BP's failure to follow environmental regulations.
Mr Walter also says he refused to misrepresent data so that the Coast Guard would believe cleanup activities in Mississippi were closer to completion.
"This was all based on money," the lawsuit alleges.
BP does not believe that Mr Walter's allegations have merit.
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