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Administrator launches probe of allegations against BP spill claims lawyer

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FILE - In this April 21, 2010 file aerial photo, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig burns in the Gulf of Mexico more than 50 miles southeast of Venice, La. A lawyer working for the court-appointed administrator to review claims as part of the multibillion-dollar settlement over BP\'s Gulf oil spill has been accused of receiving payments from a law firm representing a claimant, allegations that were discussed in a closed-door meeting Thursday, June 20, 2013, with a federal judge overseeing the case, a BP official with direct knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

NEW ORLEANS – A lawyer who worked for the administrator of a multibillion-dollar settlement from the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf is accused of collecting portions of settlement payments from a law firm to which he had once referred claims.

The Associated Press on Friday obtained a copy of the report citing the allegations against attorney Lionel H. “Tiger” Sutton III.

The report was prepared by claims administrator Patrick Juneau’s office and turned over to a judge.

Sutton resigned Friday morning. He told the AP on Thursday he could not comment because he had “not been made aware of the substance of the allegation or the status of the investigation.”

Juneau has promised a thorough investigation. The London-based BP PLC is demanding an independent investigation.

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