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Analysis: BP’s legal gamble may trim spill bill by billions

Reuters: BP Plc's attempt to get a U.S. federal court to pin at least a sizeable amount of the blame for the Deepwater Horizon disaster on other companies may have saved it billions of dollars. After failing to settle claims from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico spill through negotiations, the British oil company opted in February to go to trial with plaintiffs ranging from small businesses to the U.S. government over the damages it will face. The decision rests with U.S. District Court Judge Carl Barbier, who...

State claims a wild card in BP civil deal on Macondo oil spill

Reuters: It is a question that has lawyers and many others on the U.S. Gulf coast buzzing: Will BP strike a massive deal to settle the remaining claims over the Gulf of Mexico well blowout? BP could be nearing a settlement of federal claims with the U.S. Department of Justice, but people tracking the case closely say the company and coastal states, especially Louisiana, might still be far apart. So unless the talks with the states quicken or the judge delays the process in the hope a far-reaching deal...