The Exxon lawyers (including a former DA), have argued that the people affected by the spill have no claim because of the "accidental" nature of how it happened, and that the captain wasn't a "managerial" member of the company.

19 years after they let a drunken sailor sail a tanker full of oil into the Alaskan coastline, the people affected are still waiting to see a cent of the damages awarded, as Exxon files appeals and lines up the big-gun lawyers. And it's still on the trail, obviously intent on ensuring those affected get nothing in direct compensation.

They're claiming it's all covered by International Maritime Law. and it wasn't their fault.

Actually Exxon has already paid out over 3 billion in clean up money plus now they were just fined over 2 billion in damages to be paid to the government as a fine.

So they cleaned up the mess, and they have to cough up to the govt., but they say the people whose livelihoods have been "damaged" will just have to deal with it.

That is, they're claiming it's not their fault that fisheries have collapsed, and thousands of people have been disadvantaged, because it was an accident - beyond their control.

I think we should also sue who built the New Orleans Levies and the owner of WTC for those accidents and collapse and get a few Billion dollars too. While at it we should sue overselves for all the car accidents that happens in U.S. every year because people are driving cars rather than horse and buggy.

What about the American Indians that are disadvantaged due to the invasion of Europeans?

Well, the US should have slid out from under the postwar reconstruction of Japan -how many billions did that cost? All from two little "accidents". Why didn't the lawyers go for the "force majeure" ploy?

I mean, wasn't one of the pilots drunk? Pilots have no control over where the plane goes - they aren't in a "managerial" position.