BP defends action against "fictitious" claims The oil giant, whose compensation bill for the catastrophic Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010 stands at around $11bn and continues to rise, took out full-page advertisements explaining its position in three major US newspapers on Wednesday. The oil major contends the interpretation in question would result in payments to businesses that suffered no losses from the spill. "Whatever you think about BP, we can all agree that it's wrong for anyone to take money they don't deserve," says the advertisement. And it's unfair to everyone in the Gulf - commercial fishermen, restaurant and hotel owners, and all the other hard-working people who've filed legitimate claims for real losses. Wednesday's advertisements, which appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post, are just the latest instalment in BP's beefed-up efforts to challenge the litigation it faces on the Gulf Coast. In a separate action, BP last week called for a "comprehensive and independent" investigation into allegations that a lawyer reviewing compensation claims for the disaster was receiving payments from a law firm representing a claimant.