BP to appeal spill settlement case to Supreme Court

BP said it will appeal its case regarding billions of dollars of settlements from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill to the Supreme Court after an appeals court ruled against the company.

The Monday decision from the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit said that businesses do not have to prove they were directly harmed by the Deepwater Horizon spill to participate in the class settlement to which BP previously agreed.

{mosads}“If the Fifth Circuit’s erroneous ruling were allowed to stand, it would fundamentally redefine the prerequisites for class membership,” BP said in a Wednesday statement. “That, in turn, will surely alter the calculus for companies in determining whether to enter into class action settlements or engage in protracted litigation that would delay compensation for true victims.”

BP said it will also ask the Fifth Circuit to suspend enforcing its decision while the Supreme Court decides whether to take the case.

“BP will continue to fight to return the settlement to its original, explicit, and lawful purpose — the compensation of claimants who suffered actual losses due to the spill,” the company said.