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BP Pleads Guilty, Avoids Criminal Defense for Death of 11 Workers

BP has reached a $4.5 billion settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice that will help the company avoid having to put up a criminal defense for 11 manslaughter counts in the deaths of 11 workers who died in the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico.

The $4.5 billion BP agreed to pay includes fines for two of environmental violations caused by the oil spill. BP pleaded guilty to 14 criminal charges, including the 11 counts of manslaughter, two counts of environmental violations, and one count of obstruction of Congress.

This last count was because BP lied to Congress about how much oil was being pumped into the gulf by the leak. It took BP 87 days after the explosion on April 20, 2010 to cap the well. Meantime, it pumped 4.9 million barrels of oil into the waters of the gulf.

This resulted in the destruction of the eco-system for migratory birds and other wildlife in the marshes and wetlands, and also destroyed the fishing and tourism industries across all five gulf coast states for almost two years.
The $4.5 billion BP has agreed to pay includes $4 billion in criminal fines and $525 million for violations charged by the SEC. BP will have to pay the sum over a period of six years. This brings the total amount BP has spent on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to $42 billion, including the capping of the well, cleanup costs, and the $20 billion claims fund set up to pay people and businesses in the gulf coast impacted by the spill.

The Justice Department said this $4.5 billion settlement does not provide blanket immunity to BP. A civil case against BP for environmental violations will go forward and could produce an even bigger judgment if BP is found guilty of gross negligence.

The plea deal by BP also makes a criminal defense harder for Robert Kaluza and Donald Vidrine, the two senior BP supervisors on the rig who have been indicted on 23 counts of involuntary manslaughter, seaman’s manslaughter, and violations of the Clean Water Act.