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"Juror acknowledged overhearing a conversation in the courthouse elevator that made it easier to render a guilty verdict"

Heard it all now!

NEW ORLEANS — The federal judge who presided over the trial of a former BP engineer found guilty of obstructing justice in the government's investigation of the Deepwater Horizon disaster has denied a defense motion to disqualify him from the case.

In a strongly worded Feb. 13 order, U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval Jr. blasted a potential conflict-of-interest claim raised Kurt Mix's attorneys. They said the judge was tainted by the fact that he filed a claim against BP seeking payment, including punitive damages, for oil damage to his Grand Isle fishing camp after the 2010 spill.

The New Orleans Advocate reports (http://bit.ly/1muicj4) Duval's ruling called the argument "naive at best and disingenuous at its worst."

Mix, a former BP engineer who calculated how much oil was gushing into the Gulf of Mexico after the Macondo well blew out, was found guilty in December of one count of obstructing justice for deleting a string of text messages in an alleged effort to hamper the government's criminal investigation of the deadly disaster.

In his order, Duval said his claim in BP's civil litigation had nothing to do with Mix's case. "Simply because some of the same facts are adduced at two trials does not make the outcome in one trial affect the other," he wrote.

"A guilty verdict in the Mix trial means nothing in the Deepwater Horizon matter. His actions are removed in time from the issues in the civil trial," Duval continued. "The actions concerning fraudulent flow rate occurred from April through August of 2010. Mr. Mix's deletions occurred in October of 2010, after the flow had ended."

Duval is slated to hear defense motions on March 13 to acquit Mix or hold a new trial.

Mix's attorneys have asked the judge to vacate the jury's Dec. 18 decision, alleging misconduct because one juror said in an interview after the trial that another juror acknowledged overhearing a conversation in the courthouse elevator that made it easier to render a guilty verdict.

Mix's sentencing is scheduled for March 26.

Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/2014/02/19/5353191/judge-rejects-mixs-motion-seeking.html#storylink=cpy

The head of BP America Inc. says he believes the company is moving closer toward once again being allowed to bid on federal contracts.

Company president and CEO John Minge said Wednesday -- without giving details -- that he thinks an agreement might be reached with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Justice.

"We're working with EPA. I think we're getting closer to an agreement," said Minge in a speech to the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association.

http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2014/02/bp_america_chief_says_agreemen.html?

Yes you will get the dividend payment if you sell now

Ex dividend 12th Feb per BP site

Love your take. I would like to add ( have a look at my previous BP posts) - the Gumps are looking to make an easy income and add to that the local government (as per the rules of the campaigners - you have to be really rich to get elected, so must replenish you reduced wealth that got you there in the first place) and that made BP an opportunistic source of income. Glad they are fighting back.. Just another point - will the yanks be prepared to compensate the rest of the world as they are by far the biggest polluters. Unfortunate that the biggest economy in the world have 3rd class morals..

CAME SOMEBODY PLEASE TELL ME now BP ARE Ex diviend if I sell my shares now will I still get a dividend payment on 28th?

we will see a nice rally to 525 in the next couple of months no real reason why not, there is less and less negative press nowadays, thinks its going to smash 500 easy peasy

Don't frighten it....! Last time we got over £5 (Feb 2012), the sp got spooked very quickly. Getting above and then holding £5 will be a real test.

This going to be over £5 in the next week.