March 3 (Reuters) - A divided U.S. appeals court on Mondayrejected BP Plc's appeal of a ruling that allowedbusinesses to recover money over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oilspill, even if they could not trace their economic losses to thedisaster.
By a 2-1 vote, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in NewOrleans upheld a Dec. 24 ruling by U.S. District Judge CarlBarbier in New Orleans.
It also said an injunction preventing payments on so-calledbusiness economic loss claims should be lifted.
Barbier had ruled that BP would have to live with itsearlier interpretation of a multi-billion dollar settlementagreement over the spill in which certain businesses claiminglosses were presumed to have suffered harm.