Here’s one consoling thought about the BP oil spill. Tampa attorney Steve Yerrid is on the case. He has been appointed by Gov. Charlie Crist to be Florida’s point man in seeking maximum restitution from BP. For openers, he wants BP to compensate people and businesses outside the $20-billion escrow fund it has established to make payouts over five years.
Yerrid’s track record includes a pivotal role in the landmark settlement reached with the tobacco industry in 1997. He will be recruiting high-powered trial lawyers to make the state’s bottom-line case.
The other bottom line. The no-nonsense Yerrid, 60, is somebody you want on your team.