Class Action Filed On Behalf Of Alabama Gulf Coast Restaurant Industry

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles P.C. has filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of Alabama restaurant owners along the Alabama Gulf Coast for losses resulting from the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Many of these businesses receive substantial income from tourists, vacationers and commercial and sports fishermen, the law firm said.

The lawsuit, Cotton Bayou Marina Inc. d/b/a Tacky Jack’s Restaurant, et al. v. BP, et al. (No. 10-cv-243), was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama on behalf of plaintiff Tacky Jack's Restaurant, and seeks to represent those people and businesses that have incurred damages related to the disaster. The suit alleges negligence and wanton misconduct. Defendants named in the suit are BP, Halliburton and Cameron International.

"Between hurricanes and the difficult economic climate, these folks are depending on a strong vacation season to survive," said Jere L. Beasley, founding shareholder of Beasley Allen. "This class action aims to protect their legal rights and ensure their day in court."

The oil drilling platform, the Deepwater Horizon, exploded in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20 and sank two days later. The wreckage continues to leak thousands of gallons of oil into the Gulf waters every day. Environmental and economic damages are expected to be unprecedented.

In 2009, travel in Alabama's Gulf Coast Region accounted for 35 percent of the state's tourism revenue, as well as 36 percent of the state's travel-related employment, the law firm said. Travel-related expenditures in Alabama's Gulf Coast region in 2009 totaled $3.22 billion, it said.

Headquartered in Montgomery, Beasley Allen is comprised of 44 attorneys and more than 200 support staff. For more information, visit www.beasleyallen.com.

Download the complaint.