BP will return to court for the final phase of its civil trial over the Deepwater Horizon disaster next January – when it will learn how much the company faces in damages.
The British supermajor will return to the courtroom on January 20 2015 as the ‘penalty phase’ gets underway, marking the start of around two weeks of hearings to determine what the company’s liabilities will be.
US District Judge Carl Barbier will hear evidence from both government representatives and BP lawyers over the disaster, with both sides given 10 months to submit evidence to the court and provide depositions.
The timetable was confirmed in by magistrate Judge Sally Shushan last night, just a day after the fourth anniversary of the disaster which saw 11 people killed and millions of barrels of oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico.
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It had originally been planned to hold the final session this summer, but concerns over the complexity of the debate over the damages and possible new evidence to be introduced saw authorities push the se
After lengthy court sessions over the last few months, the courts have set 130 dates for BP and US officials to provide evidence, ahead of Judge Barbier ruling on how much the company faces in fines and damages.
Environmental fines could reach up to £10billion, on top of the £15billion the firm has already paid out in clean-up costs and damage claims.
Last week BP said the clean-up work had finally been completed, although the US Coast Guard disputed that claim. Later this summer two former BP engineers will stand trial for involuntary manslaughter over the disaster.
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