|
 Robert Kaluza was the last of four people who had faced charges in
connection with the disaster, the worst offshore oil spill in U.S.
history.
Kaluza, along with another former well-site manager, was accused of
ignoring warning signs and botching safety testing that resulted in
the rupture and explosion of BP's Macondo well, sending millions of
barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.
A jury on Thursday found Kaluza not guilty of a single misdemeanor
count of violating the U.S. Clean Water Act. If convicted, he could
have faced up to a year in jail.
A spokesman for the U.S. Justice Department declined to comment on
the jury's decision.
 Kaluza and Donald Vidrine, the two highest-ranking supervisors on
board the Deepwater Horizon rig, had initially faced charges of
manslaughter and violating the Clean Water Act.
The federal government dismissed involuntary manslaughter charges
against the men, saying a review after the incident determined the
case did not meet the criteria for gross negligence.
In March 2015, a federal appeals court upheld a lower court ruling
to drop charges of seamen's manslaughter against Kaluza and Vidrine,
saying that the men's responsibilities on the rig did not constitute
the "marine operations, maintenance and navigation" of a ship.
[to top of second column] |
Vidrine in December pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor violation of the
Clean Water Act and was sentenced to probation, the Justice
Department said.
None of the four charged in the disaster have been sentenced to jail
time.
BP has sustained more than $42 billion in charges from the disaster
aboard the rig. The company is awaiting a separate ruling from a New
Orleans federal judge, expected some time this year, over its fines
under the U.S. Clean Water Act.
(Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere in Los Angeles; Editing by Richard
Pullin and David Goodman)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
