The court managing the Gulf oil spill MDL recently entered an important case management order defining the structure and scope of the upcoming trial on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. That Trial of Liability, Limitation, Exoneration, and Fault Allocation is scheduled to commence, as previously ordered in CMO No. 1 and CMO No. 2, on February 27, 2012. See In re: Oil Spill by the Oil Rig “Deepwater Horizon” in the Gulf of Mexico, on April 20, 2010, MDL No. 2179 (E.D. La., Order 9/14/11).

Readers know we have been keeping an eye on this signficant litigation since the MDL was created. CMO No. 3 notes that the trial will address all allocation of fault issues that are to be tried to the bench without a jury, including the negligence, gross negligence, or other bases of liability of, and the proportion of liability allocatable to, the various defendants, third parties, and non-parties with respect to the issues, including limitation of liability.