A federal judge has scheduled a status conference to discuss a request to postpone the trial of two BP rig supervisors charged with manslaughter in the April 2010 deaths of 11 workers on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig.
U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval Jr. didn't immediately rule on Tuesday's request for a trial delay by attorneys for BP well site leaders Robert Kaluza and Donald Vidrine. Instead, Duval is scheduled to discuss the matter with defense attorneys and prosecutors during a telephone call Monday.
Their trial is set to begin Feb. 5, but the defense lawyers say they need more time to prepare.
An indictment accuses Kaluza and Vidrine of disregarding high pressure readings that should have been glaring indications of trouble before BP's well blowout.
