A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed claims by BP fuel stations and convenience stores that the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico diminished the value of the BP brand and cost them business.
U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier’s ruling says the dealers’ claims against BP PLC aren’t viable under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, general maritime law or state law.
Thomas Bleau, a lawyer for BP dealers Tobatex Inc. and M.R.M. Energy Inc., argued during a hearing last month that consumer animosity against BP after the nation’s worst offshore spill severely damaged the company’s brand name. Switching brands wasn’t an option for the dealers because many are locked into long-term contracts, he told Barbier.
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