The US is suing BP and several other companies in an effort to recover billions of dollars in damages from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
The justice department is seeking payment from BP, rig owner Transocean and others, in connection with their role in the spill.
It asks that they be held liable without limitation for all clean-up and damage costs.
The oi leak led to the worst environmental disaster in US history.
Eleven workers on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig were killed by an explosion which followed, and hundreds of miles of coast were polluted before it was stemmed in July.
“We intend to prove that these defendants are responsible for government removal costs, economic losses and environmental damages without limitation,” US Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement.
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