Oil Spill

Defence lawyers for a former BP drilling engineer, Kurt Mix, who was convicted by a federal jury of obstructing an investigation into the company’s 2010 Gulf oil spill, claimed that jurors engaged in misconduct that warrants a new trial.

The attorneys of the 52-year-old engineer from Katy, Texask, asked the US District Judge Stanwood Duval Jr to throw out the 18 December judgement given by the jury.

Mix tried to destroy evidence when he deleted a number of text messages to and from a supervisor and a contractor of BP.

Mix’s lawyers noted that the jurors were interviewed by them following the verdict.

The lawyers learned that during their deliberations, one juror told the others about overhearing a conversation in a courthouse elevator, making that juror feel more comfortable about convicting Mix.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

The lawyers also said, during conversations outside the deliberation room, some jurors engaged in ‘horse trading’ that would ensure a split verdict.

"During their deliberations, one juror told the others about overhearing a conversation in a courthouse elevator."

Mix, who faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, received ten separate notices from the company during his tenure that he was obligated to preserve all of his records that are related to the spill.

Based on the jury’s conclusions it was believed that he broke the law in October 2010 when he deleted a string of text messages to and from his supervisor, Jonathan Sprague.

Mix was the first of four current or former BP employees charged with spill-related crimes and the first of them to be tried.

The jury deliberated for more than nine hours over three days, before reaching the verdict on Mix’s case.


Image: smoke and fire emerge as oil burns during a controlled fire in the Gulf of Mexico. Photo: courtesy of Justin Stumberg.

Nri energy