Friday, December 09, 2011
Halliburton has been accused of destroying evidence that might have indicated it was partly responsible for the fatal oil well blowout that occurred on April 20, 2010, in the Gulf of Mexico.
The accusation was leveled by BP, which together with Halliburton is being sued by multiple parties for allowing the worst oil spill in U.S. history.
BP asked a federal judge to impose sanctions against Halliburton for “intentionally” destroying evidence related to its 3D modeling cement test results. The tests were done to determine the stability of Halliburton’s cement work around the base of the oil well.
Halliburton’s lawyers told the judge the test results were inexplicably “gone.”
BP asked the court to order Halliburton to release the computer used in the modeling to a third-party forensic data recovery firm to see if the information can be salvaged.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Halliburton Destroyed Evidence, BP Claims (by Sabrina Canfield, Courthouse News Service)
BP Accuses Halliburton of Destroying Evidence in Gulf Oil Spill Case (by Laurel Brubaker Calkins, Bloomberg)
BP’s Motion for Spoliation Actions (U.S. District Court, Eastern Louisiana) (pdf)
Interior Dept. Report on Gulf Oil Disaster Places Blame on BP (and some on Halliburton and Transocean) (by David Wallechinsky and Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)
Presidential Report Blasts BP and Others for Fatal, Cost-Saving Decisions (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)
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