A federal judge has ruled that BP acted with gross negligence and wilful misconduct regarding the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico four years ago, the Washington Post reports. That means the energy company could face fines up to $17 billion for Clean Water Act fines.
U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier ruled that BP was 67 percent at fault for the spill, drilling rig owner and operator Transocean was 30 percent at fault and oil services giant Halliburton was 3 percent at fault.
Transocean already settled its liability for $1.4 billion. This week, Halliburton agreed to spend $1.1 billion to settle claims against it, including claims for punitive damages brought by the commercial fishing industry, the Wall Street Journal reports. While Halliburton was not found grossly negligent by the judge, the settlement ensured Halliburton avoided the risk of higher damages if it had been.
In the next two parts of the government's court case against BP, the second part will determine the size of the spill and the third part will determine the final amount of the Clean Water Act and punitive fines, the Post also reports.
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