NEW ORLEANS (AP) - An attorney who was fired by the court-supervised administrator of BP's settlement with Gulf Coast businesses and residents is demanding to be reinstated along with back pay.
In a letter to claims administrator Patrick Juneau last Friday, Christine Reitano's lawyer said her contract for working on the settlement program was "wrongfully and improperly" terminated.
Reitano's husband, Lionel Sutton III, also worked as an attorney for the program before resigning in June. In July, U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier appointed former FBI Director Louis Freeh to investigate allegations that Sutton received a portion of settlement proceeds for claims he referred to a law firm before joining Juneau's staff.
Reitano's lawyer, Mary Olive Pierson, said her client severed ties to anyone with BP claims before working for Juneau.