Judge Hears Claims BP Lied To Feds About Oil Spill

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The focus of a trial over BP's massive 2010 oil spill has shifted from the causes of the deadly disaster to the company's struggle to plug its blown-out well while millions of gallons of crude gushed into the Gulf of Mexico for nearly three months.

The trial's second phase opened Monday with claims that BP could have capped the well much sooner if it hadn't ignored decades of warnings about the risks of a deep-water blowout or withheld crucial information about the size of the spill from federal officials.

A BP lawyer denied those allegations. The company maintains its spill preparations complied with every government requirement and met industry standards.

Testimony is scheduled to resume today. U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier is hearing the case without a jury.