Ellington

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The court-appointed administrator of BP's settlement with Gulf Coast residents and businesses following its 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has asked a federal judge to reject the company's bid to slash his office's proposed budget by at least $25.5 million.

Plaintiffs' attorneys who brokered the settlement also on Tuesday urged the court to approve a fourth-quarter budget request of up $131.2 million for claims administrator Patrick Juneau's office.

Juneau and the plaintiffs' lawyers argue BP is trying to slow down or even shut down the settlement process. BP attorneys complained in a court filing last week that Juneau's request is excessive.

Last month, U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier ordered BP to pay more than $130 million for Juneau's third-quarter budget despite the company's objections.