At the end of February, 2012, Judge Carl Barbier will oversee Phase I of the trial stemming from the BP/Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill disaster. Recently, Judge Barbier, and a Magistrate Judge working with him on the case, made some important rulings concerning the trial.
On Tuesday, January 31, 2o12, Judge Barbier ruled that the contract between BP and Halliburton shields Halliburton from some, but not all, liability arising out of its conduct. In the ruling, Judge Barbier found that Halliburton could still be on the hook for punitive damages and civil penalties. BP had hired Halliburton to supply the cement that would cap the well, which was in the process of happening when the explosion took place.
A magistrate judge, who is working with Judge Barbier and overseeing discovery in the case, also recently ruled that the CEO of Transocean does not have to testify at the Phase I trial. BP had asked the court to order the CEO into court for testimony, but the magistrate judge ruled that he did not need to come.
Check out a previous post about other rulings for the upcoming trial. Also, read about other news involving the oil spill and what BP knew at the time.
Zachary L. Wool, a lawyer with Barrios, Kingsdorf & Casteix, LLP, authored this blog post. You can read his bio here, and you can contact him at zwool@bkc-law.com or (504) 524-3300.
