New Orleans judge sets early-2013 trial date for Macondo incident

May 7, 2012

A New Orleans judge has scheduled an early-2013 trial date to hear liability claims for the April 2010 blowout of BP PLC’s deepwater Macondo well and the subsequent explosion and fire on Transocean Ltd.’s Deepwater Horizon semisubmersible.

Paula Dittrick

On May 3, US District Judge Carl Barbier assigned a trial date of Jan. 14, 2013, which is more than 10 months after it was originally scheduled.

The new trial date gives BP’s attorneys more time in negotiate possible settlements with other litigants, including the US Department of Justice and BP’s former contractors.

Previously, BP agreed to a $7.8 billion settlement deal with many plaintiffs (OGJ Online, Mar. 6, 2012). Judge Barbier will make a final decision on whether to ratify the settlement Nov. 8. He has given a preliminary approval.

About the Author

Paula Dittrick | Senior Staff Writer

Paula Dittrick has covered oil and gas from Houston for more than 20 years. Starting in May 2007, she developed a health, safety, and environment beat for Oil & Gas Journal. Dittrick is familiar with the industry’s financial aspects. She also monitors issues associated with carbon sequestration and renewable energy.

Dittrick joined OGJ in February 2001. Previously, she worked for Dow Jones and United Press International. She began writing about oil and gas as UPI’s West Texas bureau chief during the 1980s. She earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in journalism from the University of Nebraska in 1974.