The American Eagle Class Action Lawsuit is a legal complaint brought against the Energy deregulation Act of 1976. Named as a class, this group claims that they are innocent victims of what many call a deceptive and fraudulent piece of legislation. The original intent was to deregulate energy markets across the board, but what was hidden in the bill were fossil fuel interests. The class action lawsuit demands that the government apologize for the deception and return the money which was taken from the energy companies through illegally enacted legislation. In this article you will learn more about this case and the possible outcomes.
An American Eagle Class Action Lawsuit
The United States government implemented the Energy Act in response to the oil shocks of the seventies and eighties. Known as the OPEC Oil Shock, this set off a chain reaction of events that saw oil producers around the world to increase production far above their normal rates. At the same time the American producers of oil were increasing demand for oil, while the price of oil fluctuated and took a huge hit.
To make matters worse for the American producers of oil, the European nations whose reserves were being depleted at an alarming rate joined the fray, with the result that supply became uneven throughout the world. This has become known as the stag oil crisis. As the prices of oil tumbled, so to did the budgets of the American producers of oil. When this happens, the lawsuits began in earnest.
There have been a number of class action lawsuits brought against the United States by entities claiming to be victims of the stag oil crisis.
One such case involves an American citizen who lost his job while working overseas. According to the complaint, he was discriminated against when he requested to take a leave of absence to visit his sick mother in the United States. He was subsequently declined and was subsequently laid off from his job. After taking this action to protect his rights, the plaintiff filed an American eagle class action lawsuit against Transo Maritime Corporation, charging that the maritime corporation did not appropriately provide for his reasonable vacation time.
As expected, Transo Maritime filed a counter-suit, claiming that this American citizen, along with many other similarly situated oil producers, are guilty of attempting to falsely claim to be exempt from complying with federal law.
In support of their contention, they pointed out that the Stag Oil Act of 1920 does not permit a corporation to take vacations within the country. Thus, any such request would be considered null and void. As the complaint relates, this is a stretchy argument that does not hold up in court. Plaintiffs often present this argument as if it were fact, without any support from actual cases.
Another American eagle lawsuit is brought against Royal Dutch Petroleum (RDP), which is primarily responsible for the Gulf of Mexico spill that took place in April of this year.
The complaint asserts that RDP failed to maintain any equipment necessary to detect the spill or take the measures required to contain the spill when it occurred. Rather than acknowledge liability for the accident, RDP chose to settle with the U.S. Attorney General, rather than pursue a legal challenge through the courts.
These oil spill lawsuits provide further examples of why every individual living in the United States should familiarize themselves with their federal and state environmental laws, in order to stay safe from these types of dangerous and toxic chemical spills.
In addition, the vast majority of these suits are brought on behalf of individual victims of this dangerous oil poisoning who have suffered life threatening injuries, as well as damage to personal property. Not only do these lawsuits provide an opportunity for monetary recovery, they also serve as a deterrent against similar activities by oil producers in the future. It is important to note that many of these lawsuits have been brought on behalf of relatives of deceased oil rig workers who have suffered serious illnesses while working on-board the oil platforms currently operating throughout the world.
If you are planning on pursuing an American eagle class action lawsuit, it is advisable that you hire an experienced, knowledgeable attorney to represent you. Although these lawsuits can be fairly complex and many of them require expert legal work, they are usually worth pursuing if you have suffered a wrongful death or other injury that has resulted from the negligence of another party. The first step in preparing your American eagle class action lawsuit is identifying the primary defendant. This is generally your oil company, which may have failed to properly maintain its offshore operations, allowing dangerous chemicals to leak into the local marine environment. Identifying the primary defendant in an American eagle class action lawsuit will also help you build a strong legal case against your primary defendant. Once you have identified the defendant, you must then build a detailed case against all the individuals, corporations and other entities that are directly responsible for your loved ones’ death.