Change Of Plea Hearing Set In BP Oil Spill Case
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NEW ORLEANS (CBSDFW/AP) - Court records show a change of plea hearing has been set for one of two defendants charged with manslaughter in connection with the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill that killed 11 people.
Donald Vidrine is expected to appear in federal court Wednesday.
Vidrine and another defendant, Robert Kaluza, are charged with violating the Clean Water Act and 11 counts of involuntary manslaughter.
They were both well site leaders on the rig when the explosion occurred, responsible for the safety of drilling operations.
The explosion on the BP-operated drilling rig killed 11 workers about 50 miles off the Louisiana coast and set off the nation's worst offshore oil disaster.
There was no hearing scheduled for Kaluza.
Vidrine's lawyer did not respond to a request for comment. The Justice Department declined comment.
The Justice Department and five states -- including Texas -- just recently announced a $20 billion final settlement of environmental damage claims arising from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
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