By Andrew Callus
March 15 (Reuters) - BP launched its promised appealagainst what it called "fictitious" and "absurd" payouts to someoil spill compensation claimants on Friday and asked a judge totemporarily halt those paid out as business economic losses.
In a filing in a federal court in New Orleans, BP said itcould be "irreparably harmed" by the payouts without relief fromthe court, because they could cost it billions more than it hadbudgeted for when it agreed to a settlement in April 2012.
BP was appealing a March 5 ruling that upheld the way thecompensation is being paid to business claimants wantingrecompense for losses caused by the 2010 spill, which killed 11men and spewed 4 million barrels of oil into the sea. The rulingoverrode objections from BP, which has been finding the paymentsmuch more generous than it had accounted for.
The ruling, by the same court where BP and other companieshave been on trial for separate civil charges stemming from thespill since February, has reopened a part of the saga thatappeared to have been settled almost a year ago.
The settlement covers a class action claim for economic,property and medical compensation from more than 100,000individuals and businesses.
At the time of the settlement, BP estimated the bill wouldbe $7.8 billion - already making it one of the biggestsettlements of its kind in U.S. history. The actual amount isuncapped and dependent on decisions made by Patrick Juneau, alawyer from Louisiana who administers the payments under acomplex set of rules set out by the agreement.
As the payments started to flow out, BP realized that the funds it had set aside would not be enough. At first it addedmore, reaching $8.5 billion by the end of 2012, whilecomplaining that the payments to businesses were too generousand the terms of the settlement were being misinterpreted.
On March 5, U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier, who ispresiding over the trial, upheld Juneau's methods.
Two days later BP said it would appeal, and it actuallyreduced the sum earmarked for payments back down to $7.7 billionto underline its disapproval.
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