Thousands of fishermen and business owners in a multi-billion-dollar legal battle with BP over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill have won the right to sue for punitive damages, in a fresh defeat for the oil major.
More than 100,000 individuals, companies and authorities have filed cases claiming they suffered economic loss as a result of the leak last year. A judge, Carl Barbier, is considering 500 cases, many of them class actions, against BP and its main co-defendants, including Transocean, the rig owner.
In a key ruling, Judge Barbier has now said that the plaintiffs are allowed to make their cases under maritime law for punitive damages. BP and the other companies had argued that a different law prevented complainants pursuing them in this way.
Punitive damages go beyond pure compensation for economic loss – they are penalties intended to punish an offender and deter repeat conduct. However, extreme negligence would have to be proven, which is strongly denied by BP and the other defendants.
Severe flash flooding in the Grand Canyon on Saturday caused significant damage to infrastructure, forced the...
A fire in California’s Big Sur region doubled in size overnight, forcing the evacuation of nearby...
About 85 Americans remain missing after a devastating flood swept through a remote region of the...
At least 359 people have died, and nearly 1,000 others are reported missing after a flash...
