Peruvian Indigenous Communities Pleased with Settlement of Pollution Lawsuit Against Occidental Petroleum
Indigenous Achuar plaintiffs from the Corrientes River Basin in the Peruvian Amazon release the following statement concerning their lawsuit against Occidental Petroleum (Oxy) for alleged contamination of Achuar communities…“The parties are pleased to confirm a mutual settlement of the claims in the litigation. Under the settlement, the terms of which are confidential, Oxy will provide assistance for community development projects for the benefit of these five Achuar communities. All parties are satisfied with the resolution of this dispute.”…Plaintiff Adolfina Garcia Sandi alleged that she lost her 11-year-old son after he consumed water from the contaminated river. Other plaintiffs alleged that their children were the victims of widespread lead poisoning…After Oxy left Peru, residents from five indigenous Achuar communities…and Amazon Watch jointly sued Oxy in the United States. The suit claimed that the company had dumped toxic by-products and spilled significant quantities of oil, contaminating Achuar territory and water and causing premature deaths, birth defects, and other health problems…