Texaco and Pennzoil each sought federal support.

Atty. Gen. Edwin Meese III said each company requested that the Justice Department file a brief supporting its side in their multibillion-dollar court battle stemming from Pennzoil’s claim that Texaco illegally blocked its planned merger with Los Angeles-based Getty Oil. Pennzoil won a record $11.1-billion judgment in the case but was handed a setback last week when a New York judge ruled that Texaco did not have to post a $12-billion bond to appeal the judgment. “Surprisingly, we were asked by both parties to get involved,” Meese said. He added that he did not know what role the government should play in the case. “We’re now reviewing it,” he said.