The first trial into the fatal Texas City refinery blast that tarnished the reputation of BP and Lord Browne, its former chief executive, is due to begin…in the US…. Jim Galbraith, BP's attorney, told a jury pool…that [BP] had never denied responsibility for the blast, but insisted it was not the result of gross negligence…. More than 1,350 lawsuits into the accident, which killed 15 and injured more than 170 others two years ago, have so far been settled before making it to trial…. Attorneys for the plaintiffs argue that BP placed profits over safety at the refinery.