Payments from 2012 BP settlement $7.9 billion so far

NEW ORLEANS - The office that processes claims for businesses and people who suffered economic losses from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill says it has approved payments totaling $8.5 billion as of June 30.Of that, $7.9 billion in claims has been paid.The figures are in the latest federal court filing from Michael Juneau, the administrator of claims paid under a 2012 settlement BP reached with businesses and individuals affected by the spill after the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion. More recen