HOUSTON, Dec. 8 -- The Supreme Court of the United States on Monday rejected BP's request for a review of a multibillion-dollar settlement over the infamous 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, ending the British oil giant's legal challenge to authorities handling the case.

The London-based company filed the petition to the Supreme Court in August after a district court in New Orleans upheld a previous ruling that businesses do not have to prove they were directly harmed by the 2010 oil spill to claim damages from the settlement.

BP had alleged some businesses and individuals who did not suffer from the oil spill took advantage of the settlement program and tried to claim money from the company.

BP claimed more than 600 million U.S. dollars in illegitimate payments had gone to claimants who were not harmed by the spill.

In a press release, BP spokesman Geoff Morrell said after the Supreme Court's decision that the company is still "concerned the program has made awards to claimants that suffered no injury from the spill -- and that the lawyers for these claimants have unjustly profited as a result."

"On behalf of all our stakeholders, we will therefore continue to advocate for the investigation of suspicious or implausible claims and to fight fraud where it is uncovered," Morrell said. "We hope to prevent further exploitation of our commitment to compensating all those legitimately harmed by the spill."

On April 20, 2010, BP's Deepwater Horizon drill platform caught fire and exploded, killing 11 workers and triggering one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history.

BP said it had so far paid more than 26 billion U.S. dollars in cleanup costs and damage claims to individuals, businesses and governments.

The final phase of the oil spill case is scheduled to begin in January. The sprawling lawsuit has been going on for four years, but judges have not decided the exact amount of fines BP should pay.