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In a friend of court brief, the UK government
said lower court rulings raise grave international concerns by
undermining confidence in the "vigorous and fair resolution of
disputes."
The filing said BP, which has "gone to great lengths to restore
the Gulf Coast", was now being required to pay large sums to
others who were not injured by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
The London-based oil major is appealing lower court decisions
within the last year that it believes wrongly require it to
compensate claimants who suffered no injuries from the spill.
The British government said treatment meted out to BP undermined
the fairness and trust necessary for international commerce.
The United States and Britain conduct more than $200 billion in
trade each year, and UK businesses are responsible for 17
percent of all foreign direct investment in the United States,
according to the filing.
In a separate statement, BP said the government's petition
emphasizes the importance of fair and consistent application of
law.
BP argued that the Fifth Circuit's decisions, if allowed to
stand, will fundamentally alter class action law and discourage
companies from settling complex cases.
It also said the decisions will likely discourage companies from
investing in the United States "if companies are exposed to
liability for losses they did not cause.
Separately, a Louisiana court ruled last week that BP was
"grossly negligent" and "reckless" in the spill, a move that
could add nearly $18 billion in fines to more than $42 billion
in charges.
BP last week said it would appeal that ruling.
(This story has been refiled to to add dropped letter "s" in
paragraph 9)
(Reporting by Aashika Jain in Bangalore; Editing by Eric Walsh)
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