Remember that oil spill in San Francisco Bay about a year and a half ago? Basically, an oil tanker spilled about 53,000 of oil into the Bay, killing thousands of birds and other wildlife. 

Well, according to the SF Chronicle, the company in question actually filed a request to keep damages at under 400,000 - just about $7.50/gallon. 

Under current law, they could be fined up to $40 million - more than a hundred times what they requested the maximum penalty be. 

Thankfully, the judge threw out that request - that being said, this will certainly wind it's way through the courts over the next few years, and who knows how it'll turn out. 

On a brighter note, the courts ruled today that ExxonMobil is responsible for about 1/2 a billion in late fees stemming from the Valdez spill twenty years ago.