JUDGE: Thousands Can Now Sue BP for PUNITIVE Damages Under Maritime Law

Thousands of fishermen and business owners in a multi-billion-dollar legal battle with BP over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill have won the right to sue for punitive damages, in a fresh defeat for the oil major.

More than 100,000 individuals, companies and authorities have filed cases claiming they suffered economic loss as a result of the leak last year.

A judge, Carl Barbier, is considering 500 cases, many of them class actions, against BP and its main co-defendants, including Transocean, the rig owner.

In a key ruling, Judge Barbier has now said that the plaintiffs are allowed to make their cases under maritime law for punitive damages.

BP and the other companies had argued that a different law prevented complainants pursuing them in this way.

[link to www.telegraph.co.uk]

Last Edited by Buster Brown on 08/28/2011 12:49 PM