A Settlement has been reached in the class action lawsuit
Andrews et al. v. Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. et al.,
No. 2:15-cv-04113 (PSG:JEM) (C.D. Cal.).
The Settlement is on behalf of members of the Fisher Class and Property Class previously certified by this Court. The Settlement, if approved by the Court, will resolve all remaining claims in the class action litigation pending in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. The Fisher Class Settlement is $184 million, and the Property Class Settlement is $46 million, inclusive of attorneys’ fees and costs.
Class Counsel filed a Motion for Preliminary Approval of the Settlement and supporting papers on May 13, 2022. The motion was approved by Judge Gutierrez on May 25, 2022.
How do I get more information?
For more details and to view the Settlement Agreement, preliminary approval papers, and notice click the following links:
Settlement Agreement
Motion for Preliminary Approval
Order Granting Preliminary Approval
Class Action Settlement Notice
Who is affected?
You are a Fisher Class Member if you are a person or business who owned or worked on a vessel that was in operation as of May 19, 2015 and that: (1) landed any commercial seafood in California Department of Fish & Wildlife (“CDFW”) fishing blocks 654, 655, or 656; or (2) landed any commercial seafood, except groundfish or highly migratory species (as defined by the CDFW and the Pacific Fishery Management Council), in CDFW fishing blocks 651-656, 664-670, 678-686, 701-707, 718-726, 739-746, 760-765, or 806-809; from May 19, 2010 to May 19, 2015, inclusive; or if you are a person or business in operation as of May 19, 2015 who purchased such commercial seafood directly from the Commercial Fishers and re-sold it at the retail or wholesale level. For more information regarding the Settlement click here.
You are a Property Class Member if you owned or leased residential beachfront property or property with a private easement to a beach where oil from the 2015 Santa Barbara oil spill washed up and the oiling was categorized as heavy, moderate, or light. For more information regarding the Settlement click here.
What does the Settlement provide?
The Settlement, if approved, will result in the creation of two cash settlement funds of $184,000,000 (the “Fisher Class Settlement Amount”) and $46,000,000 (“the Property Class Settlement Amount”), together with any interest earned thereon, the “Fisher Class Common Fund” and “Property Class Common Fund,” respectively. Each of the common funds less (a) any Taxes and Tax Expenses; (b) any Notice and Administration Expenses; and (c) any attorneys’ fees and costs and any service awards to Class Representatives in connection with their representation of the Class, awarded by the Court (the “Net Settlement Funds”), will be distributed to eligible Class Members pursuant to a proposed plan of distribution for each class (“Plans of Distribution”). Copies of the [Proposed] Plans of Distribution that were filed with the Court on June 27, 2022 are linked below:
[Proposed] Plan of Distribution for the Fisher Class
[Proposed] Plan of Distribution for the Property Class
What do I need to do?
You do not need to do anything right now. If you are a Class Member who wishes to get money from the Settlement, you will be required to submit a Claim Form that will be made available at www.PlainsOilSpillSettlement.com (https://www.plainsoilspillsettlement.com/), on or before July 31, 2022.