BP Sues Lawyer, Accusing Him of False Oil Spill Claims

Firm says he fraudulently claimed to represent thousands of people affected by oil spill to get money

BP PLC has sued Texas lawyer Mikal Watts, saying he fraudulently claimed to represent 40,000 deckhands who lost money because of the 2010 oil spill.

The lawsuit claims his filings inflated the estimate for a settlement fund to $2.3 billion.

Watts did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the lawsuit, which was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in New Orleans.

The lawsuit alleges more than half the Social Security numbers on Watts' client list were fake.