A federal judge has postponed the trial of a former BP executive charged with obstruction of Congress stemming from statements he made about the amount of oil that was flowing from a blown-out well following the deadly 2010 Gulf of Mexico disaster. The Houston Chronicle reports that U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt issued his order Monday at the request of lawyers for David Rainey of Houston; they argued that because of the complexity of the case they need more time to prepare and would not be ready for trial on Jan. 28. The judge did not set a new trial date. At a hearing slated for Jan. 17, Rainey’s lawyers are expected to let the court know how much more time they need. Lawyers for two BP well-site leaders charged with manslaughter in connection with the Gulf disaster also are expected to seek delays of their trial, now set for Feb. 4. A former BP engineer charged with obstruction for allegedly deleting text messages related to the oil flow rate is set for trial Feb. 25.
Judge delays trial for former BP exec charged in Gulf oil spill case
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