Special Report: Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill
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| A logo is seen at a BP fuel station in London July 27, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters FIle Photo) |
HOUSTON, July 30 (Xinhua) -- While racing against the time to contain the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, BP had to simultaneously deal with the legal mess left by the disaster.
At a hearing on Thursday in Boise, Idaho, lawyers for disaster victims argued over how piles of lawsuits against the British energy giant should be dealt with and where the trial should take place.
The question of whether the lawsuits from some 200 plaintiffs should be combined still remains. Some lawyers argue the litigation is too massive for one court to handle.
A decision is expected in several weeks.
The plaintiffs, ranging from injured rig workers, fishermen, investors to property owners, were also at odds with BP over the trial venue.
BP insisted the trial should be held in Houston, Texas, where its U.S. headquarters is located.
The firm's attorney Andrew Langan said the city offers better access to evidence, as BP has set up control rooms there to coordinate its response to the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history.
But the plaintiffs disagree. They said the case should be heard closer to locations hit hardest by the oil spill, with New Orleans appearing to be their location of choice.
