Lindsay Lohan, BP and double standards

Filed in archive litigation on July 8, 2010

The case of the actress-turned-car-wreck Lindsay Lohan case highlights the double standards that apply for big rich corporates, according to lawyers.

According to the Huffington Post, David Perry, the lawyer suing BP over the safety of its Atlantis deepwater oil drilling platform, says BP is getting preferential treatment from the courts. "You have an individual like Lindsay Lohan, who violates their probation and their probation gets revoked and they go to jail. BP violates their probation and nothing happens," said Perry. "It's not a good lesson to teach our children."

Indeed, BP is treating the US legal system with contempt. According to news reports, BP will knock back requests from the US Department of Justice for advance notice of key business decisions like asset sales, restructuring, acquisitions or mergers. BP insists that it's acting within its legal rights but the US Government has a right to know how the company will be paying for the clean up costs. As the Financial Times reports, the Obama administration has a strong interest in monitoring BP's finances because a bankruptcy filing by the company could affect its ability to settle future liabilities.

BP continues to act like it's above the law. Unlike Lohan, the oil giant won't be bought to account.