Feds vow to prove gross negligence by BP

The Justice Department is urging a federal judge to ignore BP's assertion that the Gulf Coast's natural resources are making a "robust recovery" from its massive 2010 oil spill.

In a strongly worded court filing Friday, government lawyers also renewed their vow to prove BP engaged in gross negligence or willful misconduct leading up to the deadly rig explosion that killed 11 workers and spawned the nation's worst offshore oil spill. BP could be liable for billions of dollars in fines if U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier sides with the government.

The memo's harsh language is a sign that BP and the Justice Department aren't close to a settlement that would resolve the federal government's claims against the oil giant before a trial scheduled for next year.