Viet fishermen filed class action against BP

A class action on behalf of Vietnamese fishermen in the Gulf Coast was filed in federal court in Louisiana today, seeking damages for loss of income and the community’s way of life.

This is believed to be the first class action suit, among the dozens already filed, to be made on behalf of just the Vietnamese who live in the area, separate from other claimants.

According to the complaint here, “The damage caused to the Vietnamese communities in the gulf region is particularly devastating due to cultural and language obstacles that will make responsive efforts more challenging.”

Among other challenges faced by Vietnamese fishermen, oystermen, shrimpers, and not by their colleagues of other ethnicities, is the risk of fraud and deception because of the Vietnamese’ lack of English skill, the lawsuit says.

The complaint alleges that BP already tried that. “BP exploited this deficiency by hiring Vietnamese speaking individuals to canvass the community and coerce them to sign agreements to waive their right to sue BP in return for some interim payments. BP was later forced to apologize and rescind the agreements when this deception came to light.”

The four named plaintiff are fishermen and shrimpers coming from four different Gulf states: Louisiana, Alabama, Florida and Mississippi.

All four were fishermen when they were in Vietnam, and took up the same trade as they settled in the new country.

The lawsuit seeks injunctive and monetary damages, including punitive damages. It claims that the worst devastation is to the community’s way of life. “Fishing is the only thing they know. Fishing is the glue that bonds their community together. This is what the Vietnamese-American community in the Gulf Coast is mainly known for. That community will soon disappear.”

The case, Nguyen v. BP, PLC, was filed by Kinh-Luan Tran from Los Angeles and local counsel the Lemmon Law Firm in New Orleans.