SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 28 (Reuters) - A marine salvage company has filed suit against the $20 billion Gulf Coast Claims Facility and Kenneth Feinberg, alleging negligence and fraud by the compensation fund and its administrator.
A 42-page complaint was filed in state court in Florida on behalf of Pinellas Marine Salvage Inc, which operates on the Gulf Coast, and founder John Mavrogiannis.
The Gulf Coast Claims Facility, administered by Feinberg, was established to compensate victims of the BP Plc oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs allege Feinberg and the fund "circumvent many of the rights provided to victims of the BP oil spill under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990," and employ a "delay, deny, defend" strategy against claimants, according to a press release sent out by attorney Brian Donovan.
The plaintiffs are seeking economic, compensatory, and punitive damages.
(Reporting by Gabriel Madway)