Oregon court upholds $409 million verdict against BP for debit card fee at gas station

The Oregon Court of Appeals on Thursday upheld a $409 million jury verdict against BP, the oil and gas-producing giant, for misleading gas station customers by tacking on a 35-cent debit card fee to their purchases without proper notice.

A Multnomah County Circuit Court jury ruled in 2014 that BP must pay the money to more than 2 million individual customers who bought gas in Oregon from ARCO and am/pm stations using their debit cards over nearly three years from 2011 to 2013.

The stations were independently operated but beholden to follow rules handed down by BP, according to the Appeals Court decision. The rules included a prohibition against advertising the 35-cent fee on large street signs visible to people driving. The stations also didn't show the fee at the pump, the ruling said.

David Sugerman, one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs, said it wasn't until customers had filled up their tanks and walked up to the register to pay that they were notified of the 35-cent debit card fee.

Read more: http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2018/05/court_upholds_portland_jurys_4.html