"Manslaughter Charges Dropped In BP Oil Spill Case", 2 Dec 2015
…Prosecutors dropped manslaughter charges against two BP supervisors responsible for safety aboard the oil rig where an explosion killed 11 workers in 2010. One of them then pleaded guilty Wednesday to the only remaining charge: a misdemeanor count of violating the federal Clean Water Act…[T]estimony during civil cases was among factors that convinced prosecutors that the involuntary manslaughter charges could not legally stand up…Prosecutors' court filing said dismissing the 11 manslaughter each man faced was "in the interests of justice."…This summer, the global energy giant agreed to a record settlement of nearly $20 billion to states affected by the spill in hopes of bringing an end to a legal drama…But the settlement did not affect ongoing criminal cases…Prosecutors said Vidrine and Kaluza botched a key safety test…"As a result of this court proceeding today, no man will ever spend a moment behind bars for killing 11 men for reasons based entirely on greed," [said Keith Jones, whose son Gordon Jones died in the rig explosion].
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