Acadiana Business

Judge hears claims BP lied to feds about oil spill

by Walter Pierce

A trial over BP's 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has resumed with a federal judge hearing claims that the company misled federal officials and withheld information about the amount of crude spewing from its blown-out well.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A trial over BP's 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has resumed with a federal judge hearing claims that the company misled federal officials and withheld information about the amount of crude spewing from its blown-out well.

During opening statements Monday for the trial's second phase, plaintiffs' attorney Brian Barr said BP failed to prepare for a blowout and compounded the problem by lying about how much oil was flowing from the well.

BP attorney Mike Brock said second-guessing the company's efforts to cap the well is "Monday morning quarterbacking at its worst."

U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier is scheduled to hear four weeks of testimony for the second phase, which also is designed to help the judge determine how much oil spilled into the Gulf.