Thousands of ordinary people who helped clean up after the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico say they got sick. A court settlement was supposed to help compensate them, but it hasn’t turned out as expected. A large majority got only the minimum award and had to file individual lawsuits to recover more. However, attorneys familiar with the issue say only one person has received a settlement after suing — and that took extraordinary luck and effort. Judges have dumped plaintiff experts. BP has fought every case. And lawyers sometimes have done a poor job representing clients. The entire sprawling process has left those who jumped into action after the biggest offshore oil spill in U.S. history stranded.
