BP asks judge to toss Montana lawsuit over cleanup

[October 20, 2011]  HELENA, Mont. (AP) -- BP lawyers are asking a judge to dismiss a Montana lawsuit that alleges the oil giant took millions of dollars in insurance money and then left the state with the bill for cleaning contamination from leaky underground storage tanks.

The state and the Montana Petroleum Tank Release Compensation Board accuse BP plc and its North American subsidiaries of fraud in the cleanup of pollution from gasoline storage tanks at service stations.

BP attorney Patrick Sullivan told District Judge Jeffrey Sherlock on Wednesday that a high standard is required to bring a fraud claim and the state's lawsuit does not meet it.

[Associated Press; By MATT VOLZ]

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