Plaintiffs settle in latest BP blast trial

[jtrockville]

Source: Houston Chronicle by Brad Hem and Kristen Hays

GALVESTON -- The four remaining plaintiffs in the latest civil trial stemming from the 2005 explosion at BP's Texas City refinery have settled their claims, leaving yet another jury unable to deliberate or reach a verdict.

The plaintiffs settled late Monday as BP was winding down its defense case in the ninth week of the trial.

That leaves just seven cases pending out of about 4,000 claims filed. State District Judge Susan Criss, who has presided over the vast explosion-related litigation, has set a last trial date in September and said lawyers on both sides believe only two disputed claims could end up going to trial at that time.

Two other blast-related trials last year ended in settlements before jurors had the opportunity to deliberate. Accords were reached in those cases before plaintiffs finished presenting evidence, but the current case lasted long enough for BP to mount a defense for the first time.



Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5900904.html