U.S. expected to file Gulf oil spill civil case

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department is expected to announce as early as Wednesday its first significant legal action stemming from the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a federal government source familiar with the matter said.

The source said the action involved the filing of civil lawsuits, rather than criminal charges, stemming from the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history and that it was expected to be announced at a news conference as early as Wednesday.

The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig blowout, which began in April and was finally sealed in September, fouled resort beaches and fishing grounds, and led to hundreds of lawsuits against BP Plc and its partners over lost revenues and wages.