BP (NYSE: BP) claims that partner Halliburtong (NYSE: HAL) hide evidence about its role in the Deepwater Horizon incident. Each company faces huge liability because of the explosion of the rig and subsequent oil leak. There has been on ongoing battle about which of the two companies was negligent in how the platform was operated.
According to CNBC:
The accusation, in a BP court filing, raises the stakes ahead of a trial, expected in late February, to assign blame and damages for the April 2010 blowout of the Macondo well, which triggered the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history.
Citing recent depositions and Halliburton’s own documents, BP said Halliburton “intentionally” destroyed the results of slurry testing for the well, in part to “eliminate any risk that this evidence would be used against it at trial.”
The fight over responsibility has gone on since slightly after the accident. A third partner in the drilling–Transocean (NYSE: RIG) has also be scrutinized.