"A lawyer's dream"
Dan Pickering, co-president of Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co., an energy-focused investment bank in Houston, said,
"Everybody's going to be pointing fingers at each other," he said. Anadarko is going to be arguing with BP over the well design, BP is going to be pointing fingers at the service companies for the well drilling and evaluation process and the service companies are going to be pointing fingers back at BP, claiming it's BP's oversight and indemnification. it's a lawyer's dream."

A Transocean spokesman (owner of the rig) noted that its contract with BP requires BP to indemnify it. Its president said BP has agreed to assume full responsibility for the costs and the liability of pollution and contamination."

A spokeswoman for Haliburton noted that its contract "requires the well owner to defend and indemnify Haliburton for all potential liability claims and expenses arising from the blowout," aside from claims of Haliburton employees.

An expert in tort law at Wake Forest suggested BP might try to argue in court that other companies involved in the drilling process were negligent- e. g., manufactured of the blowout preventer.

Lloyd's of London asked a federal judge in Texas to declare that it would not have to cover BP's "excess liability" in cleanup, etc., arguing that Transocean's contract limits insurance protection to pollution "originating above the surface of the land or water."

Anadarko (25%) has said it will fight any claims. Investors have fled, lopping off $19 billion in market value.

Mitsui (10%) said the company had given up its interest in oil from the well, hoping relinquishing its interest will shield it from liability.