Federal judge finds that Gulf oil spill was caused by BP’s gross negligence
Decision opens door to billions in fines for British oil giant
A judge in New Orleans federal court today released a ruling that British oil giant BP acted with gross negligence in relation to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion, which killed 11 workers, injured 16 others and caused a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico -- the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history.
In a long-awaited ruling, U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier held that BP, Transocean Ltd. And Halliburton Co. were all to blame, although not equally. Barbier apportioned the blame at 67 percent for BP, 30 percent for Transocean and three percent for Halliburton.