BP shareholder sues executives over Gulf oil spill

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A BP shareholder has filed suit against the corporation's executives because of the offshore rig disaster that led to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Filed in federal court in New Orleans on Friday, the lawsuit by Pennsylvania resident Katherine Firpo accuses BP PLC of ignoring safety issues on rigs such as the Deepwater Horizon, which exploded April 20. And the suit accuses BP of pursuing cost-cutting measures at the expense of safety, while lobbying authorities to decrease safety regulation.

Among other things, the lawsuit seeks court-ordered changes in BP's corporate governance. A BP spokesman declined comment Monday.

The lawsuit is among a flurry of lawsuits filed by rig workers or their families and by fishermen and business owners claiming economic damage.