DOJ Official:Not Preparing To Seek Injunction Blocking BP Dividends

10th Jun 2010 18:29

By Brent Kendall Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--A Justice Department official said Thursday that the agency is not preparing to seek an injunction that would block BP PLC (BP, BP.LN) from paying dividends to shareholders. The official, speaking on the condition anonymity, said the department has not ruled out the option of seeking an injunction at some future time, but has no plans to do so now. Associate Attorney General Thomas J. Perrelli was asked about a possible injunction at a U.S. House hearing on Wednesday, and he said the department was "concerned" about the issue and wanted to make sure BP had the money to cover the costs of all oil-spill related matters. The Justice official told Dow Jones Newswires Thursday that Perrelli did not intend to send a signal that the department was preparing to seek an injunction that would stop BP from paying dividends. -By Brent Kendall, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9222; [email protected] (END) Dow Jones Newswires June 10, 2010 13:29 ET (17:29 GMT)