BP found grossly negligent in 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill
Company may have to pay billions more over 2010 Gulf of Mexico disaster as judge rules the company 'was reckless' and largely to blame
BP acted with gross negligence in setting off the biggest offshore oil spill in US history, a federal judge ruled, handing down a long-awaited decision that may force the energy company to pay billions of dollars more for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico disaster.
US District Judge Carl Barbier held a trial without a jury over who was at fault for the environmental catastrophe, which killed 11 people and spewed oil for almost three months into waters that touch the shores of five states.
The case also included Transocean and Halliburton, though the judge didn't find them as responsible for the spill as BP.
"BP's conduct was reckless," Barbier wrote in a decision yesterday in New Orleans federal court. "Transocean's conduct was negligent. Halliburton's conduct was negligent."
Barbier apportioned fault at 67 per cent for BP, 30 per cent for Transocean and 3 per cent for Halliburton. BP shares fell as much as 5.3 per cent.
The ruling marks a turning point in the legal morass surrounding the causes and impact of the disaster. Four years of debate and legal testimony have centred on who was at fault and how much blame each company should carry.