The trial was unique in that most of it was held behind closed doors, a rarity in bankruptcy court, which puts a premium on transparency.
During the 2009 transaction at the center of the dispute, Lukoil's lawyers at Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld represented both the buyer and seller because, at the time, Getty and Lukoil were part of the same corporate family.
Because Akin was on both sides of the deal, the parties in the trial had access to information that would normally be kept confidential due to attorney-client privilege. That information was fair game in the trial, but still not fit for the public.
The uncharacteristic sealing led to logistical issues in managing the case, including the accidental release of sealed transcripts.
Asked last month by Reuters for transcripts for all dates that were public, Veritext LLC, a court transcription company, supplied transcripts that included four days of trial that the court later told Veritext should have been sealed.
In a statement, Veritext said "the transcripts were sent in accordance with standard bankruptcy court procedure" but did not elaborate.
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