Judge Approves Transocean’s $400 Million Settlement For Criminal Involvement In Deepwater Horizon Disaster

Posted On Friday, February 15, 2013

Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo of the Eastern District of Louisiana approved Transocean’s guilty plea to violating the Clean Water Act based on its involvement in the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster.  The judge sentenced the company to pay $400 million in criminal fines and penalties.  The fines will be used, in part, to fund efforts to restore the marine and coastal environments effected by the disaster, as well as research and training for oil spill prevention and future response efforts.  This is one of the largest environmental crime recoveries in U.S. history, second only to the $4 billion criminal sentence imposed on BP in connection with the same disaster.  (Read more).  Transocean was also sentenced to five years of probation, which is the maximum term permitted by law.

White-Collared previously reported on this settlement in its January 3, 2013 post.