NEW ORLEANS (AP) – The judge who will allocate responsibility for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill has told lawyers to give him their views about whether a series of negligent acts can add up to gross negligence.

The Justice Department and private plaintiffs’ attorneys contend that BP PLC acted with gross negligence before the blowout on April 20, 2010. If U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier agrees, BP’s civil penalties could soar.

The blowout triggered an explosion that killed 11 workers on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig and spilled millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf. Barbier ultimately could decide how much more money BP, cement contractor Halliburton and rig owner Transocean Ltd. owe for their roles in the catastrophe.

The judge, who heard eight

weeks of testimony, set June 21 as the deadline for post-trial briefs, listing six questions about gross negligence that he wants answered. Lawyers must also submit proposed findings and conclusions then.

BP has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and other criminal charges and agreed to pay $4 billion in criminal penalties. The company says it has racked up a total of more than $24 billion in spill-related expenses, including cleanup costs and compensation for businesses and individuals.

But the company still faces billions more in civil claims by the federal government and Gulf Coast states under the Clean Water Act, the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 and other environmental regulations.

The response deadline is July 12.