Attorney General Obtains Court Order Directing Enron to Preserve Documents Subpoenaed in State Investigation

(SAN FRANCISCO) – A San Francisco Superior Court judge today ordered Enron Corp. and Enron Energy Services to preserve all documents, including original paper and electronic files, that may be within the scope of information being sought in the energy investigation by Attorney General Bill Lockyer.

The court order issued by Judge A. James Robertson was sought by the Attorney General, who last week asked that Enron be held in contempt for failing to comply with subpoenas served in June and July 2001. The Attorney General cited concerns that documents were reportedly being shredded in the Enron headquarters building or being transferred outside the company in a sale of assets.

The judge's order directed Enron to "preserve all documents of any kind, including but not limited to originals of paper documents and original native files of electronic documents, which are or reasonably appear to be included within the scope of the subpoenas and document preservation letters of the Attorney General, and shall not destroy documents or transfer documents to third parties, otherwise take any action which would defeat or diminish the ability of the Attorney General to obtain such documents and evidence pursuant to his investigative subpoena power."

The judge set a hearing for February 20 for Enron to show cause why it should not be held in contempt.