The Gulf Coast Claims Facility sent an announcement to reporters yesterday from Omega Protein Corporation, the recipient of the largest claim to date resulting from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
The Houston-based company, which sells nutritional supplements derived from gulf seafood, waived its right to sue BP in exchange for a final settlement of $26.2 million. Combined with its emergency filings, Omega has collected a total of nearly $45 million, according to the announcement.
Average claims paid by the fund average in the thousands for individuals, and in the tens of thousands for businesses, but its public statistics disclose big-ticket claims worth more than $500,000. The fund has so far paid 123 such claims, to the tune of more than $200 million. Floridians have received 44 such claims, worth over $45 million.