Oct 10, 2012
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a $18.2 billion judgement against Chevron Corp., in which the second-largest U.S. oil company was found to have polluted parts ofthe Amazonian jungle for nearly 30 years.
The court did not offer any reason for its decision, Reuters reported.
Indigenous groups and farmers in Ecuador's Lago Agrio region claim that Texaco, which was bought by Chevron in 2001, contaminated the area, in the Amazon jungle, between 1964 and 1992.
Tuesday's decision is only the latest in a long series of legal rulings in the case. It rejects an appeal by Chevron of a lower court ruling, which threw out an injunction blocking enforcement of an injunction by an Ecuadoran court.
Chevron says the February 2011 judgment by an Ecuadorian court was fraudulent and could not be enforced under New York law, according to Reuters.
Chevron called the Ecuadoran court order a "product of bribery, fraud," Agence French-Pressereported Wednesday.
In a statement emailed to Reuters, Chevron said, ""While Chevron is disappointed that the Court denied our petition, we will continue to defend against the plaintiffs' lawyers' attempts to enforce the fraudulent Ecuadorean judgment, and to further expose their misconduct."
The plaintiffs have filed lawsuits in Canada and Brazil to go after the company's assets in third countries, saying Chevron has virtually no assets in Ecuador that could be seized, according to Agence French-Presse.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a $18.2 billion judgement against Chevron Corp., in which the second-largest U.S. oil company was found to have polluted parts ofthe Amazonian jungle for nearly 30 years.
The court did not offer any reason for its decision, Reuters reported.
Indigenous groups and farmers in Ecuador's Lago Agrio region claim that Texaco, which was bought by Chevron in 2001, contaminated the area, in the Amazon jungle, between 1964 and 1992.
Tuesday's decision is only the latest in a long series of legal rulings in the case. It rejects an appeal by Chevron of a lower court ruling, which threw out an injunction blocking enforcement of an injunction by an Ecuadoran court.
Chevron says the February 2011 judgment by an Ecuadorian court was fraudulent and could not be enforced under New York law, according to Reuters.
Chevron called the Ecuadoran court order a "product of bribery, fraud," Agence French-Pressereported Wednesday.
In a statement emailed to Reuters, Chevron said, ""While Chevron is disappointed that the Court denied our petition, we will continue to defend against the plaintiffs' lawyers' attempts to enforce the fraudulent Ecuadorean judgment, and to further expose their misconduct."
The plaintiffs have filed lawsuits in Canada and Brazil to go after the company's assets in third countries, saying Chevron has virtually no assets in Ecuador that could be seized, according to Agence French-Presse.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a $18.2 billion judgement against Chevron Corp., in which the second-largest U.S. oil company was found to have polluted parts ofthe Amazonian jungle for nearly 30 years.
The court did not offer any reason for its decision, Reuters reported.
Indigenous groups and farmers in Ecuador's Lago Agrio region claim that Texaco, which was bought by Chevron in 2001, contaminated the area, in the Amazon jungle, between 1964 and 1992.
Tuesday's decision is only the latest in a long series of legal rulings in the case. It rejects an appeal by Chevron of a lower court ruling, which threw out an injunction blocking enforcement of an injunction by an Ecuadoran court.
Chevron says the February 2011 judgment by an Ecuadorian court was fraudulent and could not be enforced under New York law, according to Reuters.
Chevron called the Ecuadoran court order a "product of bribery, fraud," Agence French-Pressereported Wednesday.
In a statement emailed to Reuters, Chevron said, ""While Chevron is disappointed that the Court denied our petition, we will continue to defend against the plaintiffs' lawyers' attempts to enforce the fraudulent Ecuadorean judgment, and to further expose their misconduct."
The plaintiffs have filed lawsuits in Canada and Brazil to go after the company's assets in third countries, saying Chevron has virtually no assets in Ecuador that could be seized, according to Agence French-Presse.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.