Wyn Hornbuckle, a Justice Department spokesman, declined to comment. Daren Beaudo, a BP spokesman, didn't immediately return a call for comment.
The case is U.S. v. BP Exploration & Production Inc., 10- 04536, and the combined case is In re Oil Spill by the Oil Rig Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010, 2:10- md-2179, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana (New Orleans).