re: #252 lawhawk

Act of God in an insurance matter has specific legal meaning - defined in the contracts.

Gov. Perry’s statement has no legal bearing on this situation. He’s entitled to his opinion, but not his own facts, and the fact is that the Deepwater Horizon suffered some kind of failure(s), leading to multiple oil leaks that now threaten all manner of wildlife with a significantly sized oil slick. Now, Perry could be referencing that various natural events (wind, rain, wave conditions) are “conspiring” against efforts to contain the oil - as the Act of God, but the underlying cause of the incident is still manmade.

His statement has no legal bearing, but it certainly seems to be preparing some political and public-perception ground. Most likely, he’s just babbling.