Less than two years after the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded, killing 11 workers and pouring millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, more than 500 lawsuits have been filed against BP PLC and other defendants. Consolidated into one of the largest multidistrict litigation proceedings on record, the claims are moving toward trial at astonishing speed, considering their complexity.
During an Aug. 12 status hearing, U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier, who is overseeing the litigation against BP and other defendants, approved a rapid timetable for resolving the unwieldy assortment of claims for personal injuries, environmental violations and economic losses. “Again, lest anyone have any doubt about it, I fully intend that this trial will start as scheduled,” he said. The bench trial is set for Feb. 27, 2012.
