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Santa Barbara Oil Spill

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Andrews, et al. v. Plains All American Pipeline, L.P.United States District Court, Central District of California
Case No. 2:15-cv-04113

Grey Fox, LLC et. al v. Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. United States District Court, Central District of California
Case No. 2:16-cv-03157

Andrews Case Status

On February 28, 2017, Judge Gutierrez issued an Order certifying a class of fishers and both wholesale and retail businesses that purchased and re-sold the commercial seafood that were affected by the spill (“Fisher Class”). Later, on April 17, 2018, Judge Gutierrez certified a class of residential beachfront property owners or persons with a private easement to a beach whose properties were affected by the spill (“Property Class”). The Court appointed Keller Rohrback L.L.P., Lieff Cabraser Heimann Bernstein LLP, Cappello & Noel LLP, and Audet & Partners, LLP (“Class Counsel”) to be the attorneys representing the Class. A settlement has been reached on behalf of the Fisher Class and Property Class which if approved will provide $184 million to the Fisher Class and $46 million to the Property Class. For more information about the Settlement, please click here.

The Court rejected class claims initially brought on behalf of the proposed Tourism Class and Oil Industry Class. Separate litigation is pending on behalf of individual oil workers in the California State Superior Court of Santa Barbara County. Additional information about that lawsuit is available here .

Andrews Case Overview

On May 13, 2022, the parties announced that a settlement had been reached with Defendants on behalf of the Fisher Class and Property Class. On September 20, 2022, the Court granted Final Approval of the settlement. The settlement provided $184 million for the Fisher Class and $46 million for the Property Class. If you would like more information about the Settlement, you can find it here.

On June 1, 2015, Keller Rohrback L.L.P. filed a class action lawsuit against Plains All American Pipeline L.P. and Plains Pipeline L.P. (“Defendants”) stemming from the Refugio State Beach oil spill in Santa Barbara on May 19, 2015. The case was later consolidated with five other class actions and a Consolidated Second Amended Complaint was filed on April 6, 2016. This case is called Andrews et al. v. Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. et al., No. 2:15-cv-04113 (PSG:JEM) (C.D. Cal.).

Plaintiffs allege that Plains caused an underground pipeline to rupture, resulting in an oil spill along the coast in Santa Barbara County on May 19, 2015 that washed up onto coastal properties and beaches. Plaintiffs claim that the oil spill caused damage to the fishing industry and caused residents of coastal homes to lose the use and enjoyment of their homes.