BP settles claim from Texas blast

British energy giant BP PLC has settled a U.S. lawsuit stemming from a deadly explosion last year at a Texas refinery, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

BP's last-minute settlement was achieved as BP agreed to give 32 million dollars to a number of institutions to aid health care, worker training and safety and education in Texas, Louisiana and Tennessee, according to a statement by the plaintiff's attorney.

The plaintiff, 22-year-old Eva Rowe of Hornbeck, La., whose parents were both killed in the explosion at a BP refinery in Texas City, Texas, walked away with an undisclosed financial settlement, her attorney Brent Coon said.

Rowe had sought 1.2 billion dollars in damages, alleging negligence by BP related to the explosion. Shortly after the blast, BP moved quickly to settle with other victims' families and injured workers in the blast. The company said it set aside 1.6 billion to settle claims.

CNBC's Scott Cohn reported that BP will give up to 38 million dollars to hospitals and schools for process safety education and the company will also upgrade its Texas City refinery.

Coon said the private settlement with his client was "a very small fraction" of the 1.2 billion dollars sought.

BP attorney Jim Galbraith said, "We deeply want to express our sorrow for the loss that Eva Rowe has sustained. We are working hard to make sure nothing like this ever happens again." A BP spokesman declined to disclose further details.

The Rowe lawsuit was the last civil action involving a fatality from the explosion, lightening considerably the legal risks stemming from the accident.

Source: Xinhua