Judge expected to hear testimony from relatives of 11 workers who died following explosion
NEW ORLEANS—A U.S. federal judge will decide whether to approve BP’s guilty plea to charges including manslaughter for its role in the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
U.S. District Judge Sarah Vance will either accept the deal and impose the sentence negotiated by BP and the U.S. Justice Department—which includes a record $4-billion in criminal penalties—or reject the sentence and allow the company to withdraw from the agreement.
Before ruling, Vance is expected to hear testimony from relatives of 11 workers who died when BP’s blown-out Macondo well triggered an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig.