Judge should amend 'gross negligence' ruling or hold new trial

BP has asked a federal judge to reconsider a ruling that could cost the oil giant around $18 billion in additional fines stemming from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion.

Attorneys for BP PLC say in a motion filed Thursday evening that U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier's (BAHR'-bih-aye) Sept. 4 ruling that the company acted with "gross negligence" in the disaster was based on testimony that had been excluded from the trial.

BP says Barbier should amend the judgment or hold a new trial.

Barbier has scheduled a January trial to determine how much in Clean Water Act fines BP will face as a result of the Gulf of Mexico explosion and oil spill. The gross negligence finding means the fines could be about $18 billion.