A Sept. 4 decision by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana could clear the way for up to $18 billion in penalties for BP in its role in the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster.
A strongly worded opinion from the court said that BP Exploration and Production Inc. was liable for "gross negligence" and "willful misconduct" in causing the blowout of the Macondo well and the destruction of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig.