A U.S. Magistrate Judge has dismissed British oil giant BP’s request to give them access to some documents and email communications between top US officials and the White House regarding the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Judge Sally Shushan said the government has to keep those records strictly confidential.
Shushan said the government interest to preserve secrecy and the public interest to make sure an efficient response to a similar disaster in the future outweighed the oil company’s requirement for the documents for defending itself in the massive oil spill litigation.
Shushan said she had personally reviewed the documents prior to the ruling.
BP spokesperson Scott Deal declined to comment on the ruling.