compensation in court. >> the law expressly, expressly allows for unlimited damages, so you've got unlimited damages in state courts where the compensatory, the punitive damages, are already being sought. as we speak, there have been numerous claims filed. back on the 28th of april, the louisiana shrimpers filed a class action lawsuit against bp, transocean, halliburton and cameron for their economic losses. >> senator menendez argued if mom-and-pop drillers lacked the resources they do, maybe they ought not in the first place. and offered a history lesson about her own state and oil. >> the suggestion that those who are harmed, the fishermen, the commercial fishermen, the tourism companies and others are ultimately will be in a position to make claims in state court, well, i know my distinguished colleague from alaska knows what happened in the "exxon valdez" case, that took 20 years for claimants to try to get their just response. and some of them fell off the