Will a criminal investigation of the oil spill affect civil cases?

Law.com is reporting that the U.S. Justice Department's decision to open a criminal investigation into the Gulf Coast oil spill is threatening to complicate scores of lawsuits brought by people seeking compensation for the disaster. Read the full story here. I think, though, that what is going to affect the civil claims the most is BP itself. I am very pessimistic about this. I fear BP will find a way to avoid paying compensation for the damages caused. It will claim caps, delay payments or make it difficult for people to access their payments (there are reports of this already) or, when all else fails, file for bankruptcy. I hope I am wrong.