Environmental Groups Line Up Against Chevron Over Company's Attempt to Block Ecuador Clean-up

[Judi Lynn]

Amazon Defense Coalition: Environmental Groups Line Up Against Chevron Over Company's Attempt to Block Ecuador Clean-up
EarthRights International Criticizes Chevron's "Gamesmanship" Before U.S. Federal Judge

NEW YORK, July 11, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In legal briefs, two prominent U.S. environmental law groups are criticizing Chevron's "unprecedented" attempt to use U.S. courts to try to block its legal obligation to pay clean-up costs in Ecuador for contaminating the Amazon rainforest.

Ecuadorian indigenous plaintiffs won an $18 billion judgment against Chevron in February after an eight-year trial where undisputed evidence demonstrated that the oil giant discharged billions of gallons of toxic waste into the rainforest, decimating indigenous groups and causing an outbreak of cancer. Chevron's damage to Ecuador's rainforest dwarfs the impact of BP's Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico, according to lawyers for the plaintiffs.

The law groups lining up against Chevron include the Environmental Defender Law Center (EDLC) and EarthRights International. Both have asked the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York to reverse an injunction issued by Judge Lewis A. Kaplan that purports to block the Ecuadorians from enforcing their judgment around the world, even in countries where U.S. courts do not have jurisdiction.

In anticipation of an adverse judgment in Ecuador, Chevron sold its assets in the country and forced the plaintiffs to seek to collect any final judgment in the many nations where the oil giant operates.

More:
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/amazon-defense-coalition-environmental-groups-line-up-against-chevron-over-companys-attempt-to-block--ecuador-clean-up-125362298.html

[KT2000]

1. What low-lifes

true psycopaths. People think corporate officers have something special to get the job. I say they are lacking anything special.

[Peace Patriot]

2. Disgraceful ruling by the U.S. judge! What imperial arrogance!

This U.S. court ruling (Kaplan's) reminds me of the way the U.S. military, "Homeland" Security (CIA-FBI-DEA-USAID et al), the U.S. State Department and the U.S. government in general behave around the world--bombing whomever they please (Libya, for instance), targeting "terrorists" with imprecise, experimental weapons--drones--with an "Oops!" when they splatter civilians all over the landscape, maintaining torture dungeons around the world, using the DEA and even the Peace Corps to spy on leftists in Latin America, egregiously rigging elections for rightwing U.S. puppets (Honduras, Haiti), dictating economic policy in the interest of U.S.-based multinational corporations and war profiteers, expanding the Pentagon's footprint everywhere it can, giving $7 BILLION in military aid to Colombia to decapitate the trade union and other grass roots leadership, and on and on and on. Our corporate/war profiteer rulers have entirely given up even the facade of advocating world peace and obedience to international law and have nakedly become the Roman Empire.

So, of course, a judge acting for the Roman Empire would rule that nobody else's courts have any jurisdiction over one of our corporate rulers. Rome rules the world!

The irony is that Chevron itself moved the case to Ecuador, no doubt thinking it could control Ecuador's justice system by hook or by crook, and, to get a favorable ruling on the motion to change venue to Ecuador, they promised to obey whatever the Ecuadoran courts decided. 'Ha-ha-ha!' Chevron is now guffawing, 'We didn't mean it! We didn't mean it! We had our fingers crossed! Ha-ha-ha!'

I don't know if this is the same U.S. judge who made that ruling with that stipulation. If it is, double shame on him!

Chevron is spitting on a U.S. court--not just an Ecuadoran court!

[Nihil]

3. What he said ^^^ ! (n/t)