Bondy, the BP attorney, said the company will "vigorously" defend itself against gross-negligence allegations.

NPR: BP Civil Settlement Remains Elusive As Trial Nears

When Luc Bondy's semitransgressive "Tosca, " which opened the Met's 2009 season to critical brickbats, returned in the spring of 2010 with new and excellent principals, it looked like a different show.

WSJ: L'Elisir d'Amore | Metropolitan Opera | An Elixir for Change | By Heidi Waleson

In the first part of the show, 25 children who have attended operatic workshops led by Malika Bellaribi-Le Moal in Colombes and Bondy (Ile-de-France), perform arias that have been adapted for a young audience.

UNESCO: House | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

One or two meetings might be in order to determine how things went awry, and once Bondy is safely on the plane back home it should be relatively easy to devise new stage business to replace his lamer notions.

NEWYORKER: Fiasco

In his statement before the trial began, BP General Counsel Rupert Bondy said the company would push for the court to consider lower penalties, arguing that BP made efforts to do the right thing and "immediately stepped up" and acknowledged its role in the spill.

CNN: BP's billions at stake as courtroom showdown starts