Sunday, December 11, 2011

New E-Tips & Traps Column On Missing Evidence In Deepwater Horizon Debacle



Recovery of destroyed evidence in BP-Halliburton oil explosion
Sunday, Dec. 11, 2011






By BILL MURRAY
With Andy Thibault

Excerpts:



Ricky Lynn Morgan, a cement expert for Halliburton, was surrounded by high-powered lawyers representing more than half a dozen companies, the U.S. Justice Department and the state of Louisiana. The conference room on the 11th floor of the Pan-American building where they met on Oct. 17, 2011, is a short stroll from the New Orleans Superdome.

The legal fees generated that day would make a nice down payment for a house. The result of Ricky Lynn Morgan’s deposition could amount to billions of dollars.

At issue is the quality of cement used to seal BP’s well, which exploded off the Louisiana coast in April 2010, killing 11 workers and spewing about five million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. BP is fighting Halliburton and contractors including the rig owner, Transocean, over liability for some of the damages. This case is known as Oil Spill By The Oil Rig Deepwater Horizon In The Gulf Of Mexico On April 20, 2010. Presiding for the Eastern District of Louisiana is U.S. Judge Carl Barbier ...

... BP is seeking an adverse finding of fact by the judge, which could swing the trial in BP’s favor. Trial is scheduled for February 2011. BP has also asked the judge to order Halliburton to deliver a computer used to produce 3D modeling results to an independent forensic firm ...

... We believe a competent electronic forensic firm probably could recover the missing 3D images or modeling results. There is a possibility, if not a likelihood that the model or models were shared and viewed by more than one person. Screen captures of the model or models and other related data might be stored in any number of places ...

Bill Murray is president of EdocMasters LLC, a company that takes the mystery out of e-documentation for the legal industry. Andy Thibault, author of books including Law & Justice In Everyday Life, blogs at The Cool Justice Report, http://cooljustice.blogspot.com/

  • Complete column at New Haven Register


  • Complete column at Torrington Register Citizen


  • D.C.'s Justice Integrity Project Leads Monthly News Scoop Page w/ Deepwater Horizon Missing Evidence


  • West Coast Post On Deepwater Horizon Missing Evidence / E-Tips & Traps Column


  • Last week's column: The Care of eDocs is crucial for business


  • Also posted at U.S. Court site


  • Litigation Support Technology And News


  • EDD blog


  • Murray's Short Bio:

    Bill Murray is a self taught forensic computer technician.

    He has more than 30 years experience with computers. At 16 he wrote -- with the help of a teacher at his high school -- the senior class textbook on computer technology. Later, he was old enough to take his own class.

    Bill has worked in a variety disciplines including software development, administration, security and desktop support in the manufacturing, banking, investment insurance, medical and legal industries. He was a pioneer in the computer compact disk retail market.

    He is president of EdocMasters LLC, a company that takes the mystery out of e documentation for the legal industry
    .


  • Law & Justice @ Amazon


  • Law & Justice @ Barnes & Noble


  • Law & Justice @ Facebook


  • twitter@cooljustice


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