BP well prepared for oil spill -- lawsuits

BP's ability to deal with the ecological effects of its runaway gusher in the Gulf is murky at best, but its priorities are crystal clear. From nearly the moment the rig exploded, the corporation moved at lightning speed to prepare for potential lawsuits. The prospects for the victims are dismal.

The fight against the oil company is likely to take decades.

"Exxon has shown you can stiff those you hurt and tie them up in court for 21 years and nothing bad happens to you," he said. "You hope BP won't do that."

One always hopes but expectations are low. All multinational corporations follow the same well established strategy. As one Florida crabber who has been fighting a lawsuit from past hurricane damage put it, "It's like it's cheaper to pay their attorneys and fight in court than paying the money to people they hurt and doing the right thing."

Sadly, this is true. If they admit liability, their exposure is much larger than it is if they can wear down the plaintiffs with large claims to discourage the smaller claimants from suing at all.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]