Alabama Seeks Trial Against BP in Oil Spill Claims

The state of Alabama is asking a federal judge to clear the way for a trial against petroleum giant BP over the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

A federal judge in New Orleans has said he is leaning in favor of approving a proposed class-action settlement to resolve billions of dollars in claims against BP.

But the state of Alabama filed papers Tuesday arguing that a trial should be held this year to establish who is to blame for the spill. The state says Gulf Coast governments should get to prove their case against BP.

BP has asked the court to postpone the trial.

The judge has set a meeting for today to discuss plans for setting a trial date for claims not covered by the settlement.