BP Found Grossly Negligent in 2010 Spill; Fines May Rise for Oil Giant in Decision

BP Plc acted with gross negligence in setting off the biggest offshore oil spill in U.S. history, the Eastern District of Louisiana ruled Sept. 4, 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 (In re Oil Spill by the Oil Rig “Deepwater Horizon” in the Gulf of Mexico, E.D. La., MDL No. 2179, 9/4/14).

Judge Carl Barbier of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana held a trial without a jury over who was at fault for the environmental ...