BP has lost its bid to stall disputed payments while the U.S. Supreme Court reviews its case.
BP has fought against damage claims it feels are unrelated to its 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
Last year the company convinced a judge to suspend pay-outs to all businesses, including those directly linked to the spill, as it continued to contest the disputed claims.
However, that move was later overturned.
Last week, BP said the order would include paying billions of dollars in unjustified claims and asked the court to reinstate the suspension as it continued to appeal higher up the U.S. legal chain. The company contented that a misinterpretation by the claims administrator had raised the settlement costs from $7.8billion to more than $9.2billion.
The U.S. Court of Appeals in New Orleans has now rejected its bid, forcing BP to make the payments while it still seek to overturn them.
“We are disappointed and will seek review by the U.S. Supreme Court of this ruling,” Geoff Morrell, a spokesman for the London-based company, said.
Lawyers for spill victims added: “We are pleased that the court has refused BP’s latest request to further delay claims payments.”
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