BP faces court, discovery obligations.

• Position: E-DISCOVERY - BP Products North America Inc. - Transocean Offshore Inc.

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The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is the largest disaster in U.S. history--and there is no doubt that BP will soon face civil and criminal action by the federal government, state governments, employees, and shareholders.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder recently stated that prosecutors 'Rave already instructed all relevant parties to preserve any documents that may shed light on the facts surrounding this disaster."

The 20-page preservation order was filed in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana on May 5, 2010. It states, in part:

"1. The Defendants, Transocean Offshore Deepwater Drilling Inc., Deepwater Horizon, BP Products North America Inc., Halliburton Energy Services, Cameron International Corp. d/b/a Cameron Systems Corp., and MI SWACO, through their officers, agents, employees, and subcontractors, are ordered:

(a) To reasonably refrain and resist from any changing, alteration, and/or destruction of any documents pertaining to the April 20, 2010, explosion or subsequent efforts expended in connection with such event, including all infonnation (sic) stored, held, or maintained in electronic format or via the Internet; and to take immediate action to prevent the automatic and]or systematic programmed deletion or...