Judge sticks to BP gross negligence ruling; could cost oil giant nearly $18B in penalties

NEW ORLEANS – A federal judge in New Orleans is sticking to his ruling that said BP’s conduct in the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil rig disaster amounted to “gross negligence.”

It could mean close to $18 billion in federal penalties for the British oil giant.

U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier on Thursday rejected BP’s call to either amend his Sept. 4 judgment or hold a new trial on the issue.

BP attorneys filed a motion in October arguing that Barbier’s ruling was based on expert testimony that had been excluded from the earlier trial.

Barbier disagreed in an 11-page ruling that included excerpts from the testimony. Barbier said there was no basis for BP’s claim that the testimony was unfair or prejudicial.