A multibillion-dollar legal case that was due to open today into the Deepwater Horizon rig disaster has been put back a week, BP said last night.
The case, which could last until 2014, will begin on Monday, March 5, the company said.
BP and the plaintiffs’ steering committee (PSC) confirmed the US District Court had yesterday adjourned the start of the Deepwater Horizon multi-district litigation civil trial by a week.
“This adjournment is intended to allow BP and the PSC more time to continue settlement discussions and attempt to reach an agreement,” they said in a statement.
“BP and the PSC are working to reach agreement to fairly compensate people and businesses affected by the Deepwater Horizon accident and oil spill.”
Earlier, BP chief executive Bob Dudley said the oil giant was hopeful of doing “some deals” on the details of the case but otherwise it was ready for a drawn-out battle.
The group will be in the dock in New Orleans alongside contractors Halliburton and Transocean as a single judge decides who was to blame for what happened when the Gulf of Mexico rig exploded, claiming the lives of 11 men and triggering the biggest oil spill in US history.