A federal judge refused British oil giant BP’s request Wednesday to block a second round of claims payments for losses incurred by the seafood industry in the wake of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, pointing out that checks are still months away from being cut.
Attorneys for BP have argued an alleged fraud by Texas plaintiffs’ attorney Mikal Watts led the company to agree to an oversized $2.3 billion pool for seafood claims, part of a larger class-action settlement that sought to resolve hundreds of thousands of claims for damages.