"The payments mark the beginning of a process to distribute $383 million among nearly 33,000 commercial fishermen and other plaintiffs. Lawyers for the plaintiffs and Exxon continue to battle in court over whether the oil company owes interest on the punitive damages award. If so, the interest could roughly double the total payout.

"An Anchorage jury originally decided in 1994 that Exxon owed $5 billion for the 11-million-gallon oil spill, which disrupted many of the state's commercial fisheries and sullied miles of beaches. Over many years, however, Exxon's lawyers succeeded in whittling down the amount to a fraction of the jury award.

"Exxon long held that it didn't owe punitive damages, arguing it already had spent $3.4 billion as a result of the spill including compensatory payments, cleanup payments, settlements and fines.

"Over the summer, however, the U.S. Supreme Court said the company owed up to $507.5 million in punitive damages."

Some of the claimants never expected to see any money, even though they will be receiving far less than they should have.

And Exxon-Mobil, having successfully decreased the damages they owed, goes on its merry way, making billions destroying the earth, seas, and environment.

The company whined about having "spent $3.4 billion as a result of the spill including compensatory payments, cleanup payments, settlements and fines."

Just think, it only took 20 years for the criminal Exxon-Mobil corporation to begin paying the Alaska plaintiffs a reduced amount for ruining their lives and livelihoods!

This is how justice actually works when a huge, filthy rich corporation commits a terrible crime and fights against accountability and being assessed fair and just fines for damaging the environment, this country, and particularly the lives of regular working Americans.