BP has lost its bid for a reassessment of compensation paid to companies and coastal residents affected by the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010.
The US federal appeals court ruled that US district judge Carl Barbier was correct in rejecting a BP bid to require companies to prove that their losses were directly linked to the spill before getting a payout.
The plaintiffs were quick to hail the decision.
"Today's ruling is an enormous victory for the Gulf and an important step forward in ensuring that every eligible claimant is fully compensated according to the objective, transparent formulas spelled out in the settlement agreement that BP co-authored and agreed to," lawyers Steve Herman and Jim Roy said in a statement.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-11/bp-loses-bid-to-have-gulf-oil-spill-compensation-reassessed/5195658