The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on recent court decisions and liability caps, focusing on the Supreme Court’s 2008 decision in Exxon v. Baker, in which a 5-4 opinion by the Court reduced the amount of punitive damages a jury awarded to victims of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill by $2 billion. Witnesses focused on the April 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and proposed legislation to lift liability caps. 
In emotional testimony Christopher Jones displayed photos of his 28-year-old brother, Gordon, including one of an unfinished backyard fort his sibling had been building with his 2-year-old son. He referred to BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward’s remark that he “would like my life back” and said, “Well, Mr. Hayward, I want my brother’s life back.”