Nigerian Times

Chevron is trying to wriggle out of paying for damages for decades of oil pollution in Ecuador. Photo Credit: The Minority Report Statement on Chevron's appeal today of the $18 billion judgment in Ecuador: Karen Hinton, U.S. spokesperson for the Ecuadorians, said: "For almost two decades, Chevron has stood in the way of a comprehensive cleanup of billions of gallons of crude oil and toxic waste water it deliberately dumped into the pristine rainforest. Thousands of people have died or have suffered from illnesses as the oil giant and its legions of lawyers fought to distract attention from the overwhelming evidence against the company. Chevron has always believed that Ecuador's many laws prohibiting environmental contamination should not apply to the company's misconduct. "In its latest notice of appeal, Chevron again seeks special treatment not afforded any other litigant under Ecuadorian law. Chevron's request that a bond requirement be waived would force ...

~ By Marco Simon, Legal Director, Earth Rights International Since February, Chevron has been facing what is probably the largest environmental judgment in history-- an $8 billion award from an Ecuadorian court for contaminating the Ecuadorian Amazon. (That judgment is now available in English, below, courtesy of Chevron.) They've gone on the offensive against this judgment on two fronts. But they need to win not just these cases, but every other one that the plaintiffs might file. The plaintiffs' strategy has become known through the release of the so-called "Invictus" memo. That memo, drafted by law firm Patton Boggs for the Ecuadorian plaintiffs, outlines a global enforcement strategy. The Ecuadorians can go after Chevron in the US, but they can also try to enforce the judgment in Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, and dozens of other countries where Chevron operates or has assets. Not surprisingly, Chevron is working hard to prevent that. Chevron's first a...

Chevron Scrubs Lawsuit to Block Ecuador Award ~ By Adam Klasfeld MANHATTAN (CN) April 22 - With little fanfare, Chevron dropped a charge from their racketeering lawsuit against an attorney who helped engineer an environmental case that resulted in an $18 billion judgment against the company in Ecuador. As the parties are gearing up for a November trial in Manhattan to block the award, Chevron filed a proposed amended complaint on Thursday that removes attorney Steven Donziger as a party to one of the counts. Donziger, however, is not too happy about the change, as it could prevent him from participating in a trial to determine whether the judgment he secured is enforceable. Chevron spokesman Kent Robertson told Courthouse News that it made the change because Donziger does not "have a dog in that fight." He added that the Ecuadoreans can seek any lawyer they want to defend the judgment. After Chevron filed the amended complaint, a spokeswoman for Donziger...

Miami Herald Catches Chevron In Lie About Ecuador Well Site Reporter Finds Oil Sludge In “Remediated” Pit Washington, DC – The Miami Herald has caught Chevron in a lie about its so-called “remediation” in Ecuador that the oil giant uses as its primary defense against an $18 billion judgment in a massive oil-contamination case brought by indigenous groups. In a story published in today's newspaper , journalist Jim Wyss said he witnessed “thick oil slicks” only a few feet into the ground of a dirt-covered storage pit Chevron told him the day before had been remediated of all oil. After watching a man dig into the ground at the Sacha 53 well site, Wyss wrote, “Within a few inches the dirt gives off the pungent odor of petroleum. Within a few feet the dirt glistens with oil residue. When a few handfuls of the soil are dropped into a bucket of water, a thick oil-slick coats the surface.” Chevron has continually claimed to courts and the press that it conducted a remediation of the site...

9 Oct 2007 01:07 Africa/Lagos Chevron's Human Rights Problems Span Three Continents, According to The Coalition to Defend the Amazon Oil Giant Under Fire in Burma, Nigeria and Ecuador for Rights Abuses and Environmental Neglect Still No Defined Human Rights Policy Despite Shareholder Pressure SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- The Coalition to Defend the Amazon issued the following statement: Repression in Burma, an environmental disaster in Ecuador's rainforest, and a federal judge's decision last month to force Chevron to stand trial in the U.S. for the massacre of Nigerian villagers highlight the oil giant's growing human rights liabilities around the world. In Burma, the company's ties to the military junta carrying out a brutal crackdown against peaceful street protests has brought international scorn. As a result of its recent take-over of Unocal, Chevron now owns the Yadana gas operation in Burma. Yadana is allowed to operate by a loophole in existi...