Pension funds and other major investors that are pursuing a class-action lawsuit against BP related to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill are now alleging the British oil giant reduced spending on safety measures prior to the spill and that the company ignored safety warnings from its own staff.
The New York State comptroller and various Ohio pension funds are leading the lawsuit and claim BP fired Curtis Jackson, then a senior manager for Gulf of Mexico operations, and Phil Dziubinski, a senior safety official at BP Alaska who warned of worker fatigue from extensive overtime, according to the Washington Post.
BP (BP), Europe's second-largest oil company, declined to comment on the pending litigation. Lawyers for the plaintiffs also allege that another key BP employee, Kevin Lacy, left the company in late 2009 due to his concerns about the company's safety protocols.
A report by a presidential commission investigating the spill has placed the blame for the tragedy at the doorstep of BP and several of the contractors involved with work on the Deepwater Horizon rig. The rig exploded on April 20, 2010, killing 11 workers and creating the biggest oil spill in U.S. history.
Home
Peak Oil Facts
