Lawsuits filed in various states have been brought by, among others, fishermen who have lost their livelihoods, investors whose portfolios are losing value with the plunge in BP stock price, and insurance underwriters who are trying to block BP from collecting payments.

The Turtle Island Restoration Network, Center for Biological Diversity, Animal Welfare Institute and Animal Legal Defense sought an injunction to halt BP oil-burning operations until the safety of sea turtles can be ensured. BP's practice of corralling the oil with fire-resistant booms and then lighting it on fire resulted in endangered sea turtles being burned alive in violation of the U.S. Endagered Species Act. The groups withdrew the suit after the ensuing publicity led BP and the US Coast Guard to agree to allow wildlife rescuers to pluck sea turtles out of corralled oil patches.

Another suit seeks to hold BP and its CEO Tony Hayward accountable under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICCO) for allegedly engaging in a pattern of fraudulent misrepresentations when the company asserted in its regional oil spill and exploration oil spill emergency response plans that it had the equipment and technology to respond to a deepwater accident.

John F. Kennedy Jr., presently involved in three cases against BP including the RICCO action above, stated that "BP at this point has huge economic disincentives to actually deplore the kind of resources that it ought to deploy to clean up the site..."

As the number of cases filed against BP continues to rise the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation is expected to meet July 29 to consider how best to combine many lawsuits, including more than 180 on the panel's docket so far.