“For the people who were harmed, they will recover approximately $15,000 apiece,” said David Frederick, who filed a friend of the court brief in the case for the state of Alaska. He called it “a pittance compared to the devastation the oil spill wreaked on their lives.”
And, needless to say, the fine was not adjusted for inflation.
We’ll see how much they’re able to collect. Appellate courts love to throw settlements like this out or drastically shrink damages.
It took 18 years for the Exxon Valdez case to reach a verdict. Another 2 years after that, the SCOTUS reduced damages from $2.5B to $500M
And, needless to say, the fine was not adjusted for inflation.