Judge Delays BP Civil Trial Pending Settlement Talks

The Associated Press reports that “a judge has delayed the federal trial over the nation’s worst offshore oil disaster by a week, saying Sunday that BP PLC was making some progress in settlement talks with a committee overseeing scores of lawsuits, according to people close to the case.” It adds, “Two people close to the case told The Associated Press that the decision was made Sunday during a conference call between parties in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill case and US District Judge Carl Barbier. They said the judge told those on the call that BP and the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee were ‘making some progress’ in their settlement talks.”