Three years after the Big Oozy, BP is now worried about a leak on the other side of the pond. Unsurprisingly, the British oil giant is worried about the money flowing out of their coffers into Louisiana and the other Gulf states that saw oil on their shores in 2010. According to a report by the BBC, BP HQ thinks their company is in jeopardy because of "fictitious" claim payments. The company is so worried that they want the prime minister to get involved, according to the report.

Barring an eleventh-hour settlement, BP is set to unleash another unchecked torrent on the Gulf Coast that will require many days to solve. This time, however, the action won't be at the bottom of the Gulf, but in federal court on Poydras St. And it might even be more gross.

BP once again postponed their day in court Friday night. With a trial once again looming, the giant British oil company announced a settlement Friday night with the many individual plaintiffs that were seeking damages from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil disaster off the coast of Louisiana. While the settlement appears designed to pay claims to individuals, a court date with the federal government and state and local governments appears to remain on the horizon. The start of that trial is now unkonwn, as Judge Carl Barbier postponed the start of the session on Poydras without a date attached. 

The legal mess left by the Deepwater Horizon explosion saw its first big ruling yesterday. Judge Carl Barbier dismissed a batch of claims by enviornmental groups that wanted the judge to declare the offshore oil drillers that caused the Big Oozy in violation of the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act and a host of other laws. The groups didn't want any money, just a ruling that said companies were running afoul of the laws. Barbier said he couldn't determine whether the companies were violating the law because the oil was done leaking, the oil rig already sank, and the oil itself is already being cleaned up. Or, at least, that's what he was told.

The judge in charge of that other slick mess (the legal one) left by BP ruled late last night that BP Claims Czar Ken Feinberg shouldn't be considered a neutral party in the process of giving money to Gulf Coast residents. Instead, federal Judge Carl Barbier effectively said he should be considered in league with BP. If Barbier has his way, Feinberg, who is in charge of overseeing the distribution of $20 million, will also be forced to turn on the lawyers' code.

Perhaps it seems like attorneys trying to hit BP where it hurts are throwing court action against a wall to see if it sticks. But who can blame them, what with the sudden availability of a certain sticky, black substance to put on the back of the filings. In their most recent move, attorneys Stephen Herman and James Roy are dusting off the statute often used by the FBI to prosecute mafia gangsters (and Louisiana politicians!).

Federal deciders announced Tuesday that a New Orleans federal judge will oversee all lawsuits connected to the Big Oozy. Even with the inherent potential for sideshows, the selection of Carl Barbier is sure to be looked on as a moral victory for Oozy victims. A panel also considered Houston, which happens to be the stateside home of BP. The selection also represents a crucial turning point in the litigation process, setting up the showdown between Chip Forstall and Morris Bart to see who will make Barbier's best courtroom foil.