This dataset comprises internal BP documents, known as 'The BP Papers', leaked during litigation in 2024. The documents detail how BP hired contractors like Exponent to generate scientific data and literature to defend against lawsuits following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. The dataset covers strategic communications and contracts from 2010 onward.
Use Cases
- Analyze the contractual language and scope of work in the leaked BP-Exponent consultancy agreement to identify strategic legal defense preparations.
- Trace the influence of corporate-funded research by examining references to scientific literature produced by contractors like Exponent for BP.
- Investigate the timeline and flow of communications between BP, its law firm Arnold & Porter, and hired scientific consultants documented in the papers.
- Study the stated objectives for scientific data generation in the context of potential litigation and regulatory outcomes mentioned in the documents.
Strengths
- Based on primary source internal corporate documents ('The BP Papers') leaked in 2024 litigation.
- Covers a significant event, the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster, which led to over $60 billion in company expenditures.
- Documents span from at least May 2010, providing a temporal record of corporate strategy post-disaster.
Limitations
- The specific document count, file formats, and total size of the dataset are unknown.
- The dataset's completeness is uncertain as it consists of documents disclosed selectively during litigation.
- Analysis requires contextual knowledge of the Deepwater Horizon event, legal processes, and scientific integrity issues.
Provenance
- Source
- Internal BP documents ('The BP Papers') disclosed by the Downs Law Group in litigation.
- Collection Method
- Leaked corporate documents obtained and disclosed during legal proceedings.
- Time Range
- From at least May 2010, with documents disclosed in 2024.
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Primarily concerns the Gulf of Mexico region and corporate activities of BP.