Law Blog
BP Drops Opposition to Gulf Oil Spill Claims…
BP has abruptly switched legal strategies—again—in the multi-billion-dollar liability fight stemming from the April 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The company dropped a campaign to oust a settlement administrator it had accused of tolerating waste and fraud. The move seeks, in part, to mollify a federal judge in New Orleans who could sock BP […]
Judge Rejects BP Appeal on Cap for Gulf…
A federal judge on Thursday rejected BP’s request to cap its Deepwater Horizon oil spill liabilities at a level lower than the $4,300-per-barrel maximum U.S. prosecutors are seeking for environmental penalties. U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier in New Orleans sided with the prosecutors, who had argued environmental regulators were instructed by Congress to raise statutory […]
Studies: BP Spill Reduced Gulf Marine Life
Oil from the Deepwater Horizon blowout in 2010 may have created a vast zone on the Gulf of Mexico floor where marine life is much sparser than before toxic petroleum settled there, according to studies presented Monday at a Houston conference on the BP oil spill. Sperm whales are no longer feeding in a vast […]
Court Reaffirms BP Liable in Gulf Oil Spill
A federal appeals court panel has reaffirmed its ruling that BP is liable for federal Clean Water Act damages stemming from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the latest loss for the oil giant as it fights court decisions that could ultimately bring $18 billion in penalties. The three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. […]
U.S. Supreme Court Denies BP’s Request to Review…
At approximately 8:30 a.m. CST on Monday, December 8, 2014, the United States Supreme Court released it's Order from the December 5, 2014 conference. This Order denied BP's request to have the highest Court in the United States hear arguments regarding the interpretation and validity of the Deepwater Horizon Settlement Agreement, which was entered in 2012.
Deepwater Horizon Claims Facility Has A 99.5% Accuracy…
Results of a third-party audit of the oil spill settlement program released Tuesday (Nov. 25) by claims administrator Patrick Juneau show the settlement program has correctly processed 99.5 percent of claims. The audit concluded the program is "well-designed and appropriate" and made no major recommendations for improvement. The audit, conducted by Chicago-based McGladrey LLP, has […]
U.S. 5th Circuit Upholds British Petroleum’s Fault in…
A panel of federal appeals court judges in New Orleans has refused to reconsider a ruling that BP and Andarko Petroleum Corp. must pay federal fines related to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil disaster. BP and Anadarko, co-owners of the failed Macondo oil well, had sought to avoid penalties by blaming another company's failed […]
Gulf States Reach $18.7B Settlement with BP Over…
Officials in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana announced an $18.7 billion settlement with BP on Thursday that resolves years of litigation over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.According to Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell, more than $6.8 billion will be paid to the state of Louisiana. He said $5 billion would be for natural […]