BP investors lose bid for class status in Gulf spill case.
A U.S. federal judge has refused to allow investors to proceed as a group in a lawsuit accusing BP Plc (BP.L) of fraud by misleading them - before and after the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill - about the company's ability to respond to an accident.
U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison in Houston denied a request on Friday to certify a class action of holders of BP's American depository shares (ADSs) who were allegedly injured by the energy giant.
The judge said his decision was based largely on a U.S. Supreme Court ruling from March holding that a class action against Comcast Corp (CMCSA.O) was improperly certified.
Ellison said the Supreme Court decision "has appreciably changed the landscape for class certification."
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/12/07/uk-bp-investors-lawsuit-idUKBRE9B60AI20131207