NEWPORT BEACH : City to Join State in Oil Spill Lawsuit

The city will join the state attorney general’s lawsuit against the three companies involved in the February oil spill off Huntington Beach earlier this year.

“We decided to consolidate with the attorney general’s office to seek further damages for the oil spill,” City Manager Robert L. Wynn said. “It would be my guess that a trial would be a year to two years away.”

The companies named in the suit are British Petroleum, which owned the oil and operated the tanker, American Trading Transportation, which owned the ship, and Golden West Refining Co., which held the lease on the tanker terminal where the ship was moored.

City Atty. Robert Burnham said Wednesday that he is asking the attorney general to make some minor revisions in the draft lawsuit before Newport Beach agrees to join as a plaintiff.

When filed, the civil suit is expected to seek damages for a variety of plaintiffs representing the public from city, state, county and federal agencies.

The city would not be seeking cleanup costs, since British Petroleum already paid those in an out-of-court settlement. But Burnham said the city would be seeking unspecified damages for loss of revenue, temporary closure of beaches and the harbor and harm to natural resources.

The hull of the tanker American Trader ruptured Feb. 7, while anchored off Huntington Beach. More than 300,000 gallons of oil leaked from the tanker, washing up on the Huntington Beach and Newport Beach shorelines.