NEW ORLEANS — A trial started Monday to assign blame and help figure out exactly how much more BP and other companies should pay for the nation’s worst offshore oil spill.
U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier said he would hear several hours of opening statements Monday and the first witness would take the stand Tuesday.
Unless a settlement is reached, the judge will decide how much more money BP PLC and its partners on the Macondo well drilling project owe for their roles in the 2010 blowout that triggered an explosion that killed 11 workers and spawned the huge spill.