The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit [6] on Aug. 8 affirmed (PDF) [7] a lower court ruling that barred Ecuadoran plaintiffs from collecting a $8.646 billion Ecuadoran judgment against Chevron Corp. The lower court had concluded in 2014 that the Ecuadoran judgment was obtained through corruption and fraud and barred the plaintiffs' attorney, Steven Donziger, from attempting to enforce the judgment or profit from the award anywhere in the world. The appeals court affirmed the lower court's judgment that concluded that Donziger and his team had secretly authored the judgment and offered the Ecuadoran judge $500,000 to sign it. The appeals court also said that the lower court's decision does not invalidate the judgment and does not prevent the enforcement of the judgment outside the US. The dispute [8] arises from allegations by Ecuadoran plaintiffs of Chevron's role in environmental damage in the Amazon rainforest. Chevron disputes these claims [9], while Donziger maintains [10] his innocence and that he is the victim of a coordinated campaign against him by Chevron.
From Jurist [11], Aug. 9. Used with permission.
