Trial of BP Over Deepwater Horizon Set for Monday

Trial of BP Over Deepwater Horizon Set for Monday

Jeremy Truitt
Newsy

Nearly three years after the Deepwater Horizon accident dumped over four
million barrels of toxic crude oil in the Gulf of Mexico, oil giant BP
is set to face off against the Justice Department in court Monday.

It all started
in April 2010 when a massive explosion on board the platform killed 11
workers and injured many others. The platform ultimately sank and set
off a 3-month frenzy to cap the well as oil continued to gush into the
Gulf.

BP says
it will fight the government’s charges of gross negligence, saying “We
have always been open to settlements on reasonable terms... faced with
demands that are excessive and not based on reality or the merits of the
case, we are going to trial.”

Transcript with links continues below...

According to the Times-Picayune,
the difference between “negligence” and “gross negligence” under the
Clean Water Act means the difference between a $4 billion fine and a $17
billion fine. The editorial cites previous BP safety violations, saying
“The bottom line is simple: BP should pay the highest penalties
possible to undo the grievous damage it has done.”


Under typical circumstances, major companies almost always come to a
settlement when such high penalties are at stake. In a trial, much more
uncertainty exists. A guest on Fox News urged BP to settle.

“We’re in a situation now where BP is pointing fingers at people but the
reality is, why don’t we sit down and just try to get this settled, BP?
And why don’t you just accept that it was a very terrible situation
that you created?”

So why hasn’t BP simply settled? A lawyer involved with the case told Bloomberg
that with BP shifting blame to it’s sub-contractors Halliburton and
Transocean and with 5 states involved, the case is simply too complex.

The Anniston Star sums
up the difficulty, saying: “Even if all are determined, in some way, to
be guilty, how does one divide the blame in dollars? It will not be an
easy task.”

The company still has time to settle should they come to a last minute
agreement with government lawyers, but since it’s already been several
years, that seems unlikely.

Original link can be found here:
http://www.newsy.com/videos/trial-of-bp-over-deepwater-horizon-set-for-monday/


Source:-
http://www.activistpost.com/2013/02/trial-of-bp-over-deepwater-horizon-set.html