NEW YORK — The company that owns the sunken Deepwater Horizon rig will petition a federal court to cap its liability at less than $27 million.
It has, however, estimated additional expenses from higher insurance premiums and legal fees of about $200 million.
The move comes as lawsuits pile up against Transocean and BP, which leased the rig and is trying to shut off a well that’s spewing 210,000 gallons of crude into the Gulf of Mexico each day.
Tim Howard, a Northeastern University law professor who has filed potential class-action suits on behalf of numerous interests in the Gulf, predicted Transocean’s petition will fail.
