5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upholds 2012 BP oil spill settlement

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NEW ORLEANS - A federal appeals court has upheld a judge's approval of a multibillion-dollar settlement between BP PLC and lawyers for Gulf Coast businesses and residents who claim the company's 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill cost them money.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday that U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier did not err by failing to determine whether the class of eligible claimants included individuals who haven't actually suffered any injury.

A divided three-judge panel of the court said in its 48-page ruling that it could not agree with arguments raised by BP and other appellants and affirmed Barbier's initial ruling in 2012.

One of the three appellate judges, Emilio M. Garza, disagreed in a 14-page dissent.

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