Latest twist in Chevron-Ecuador fight focuses on key witness
The plaintiffs’ lawyer who lost a major court battle last year against Chevron Corp…is making his latest legal bid by notifying an appeals court that a key witness who testified for the oil giant wasn’t telling the truth. A brief recap first: in 2011, after years of litigation, a court in Ecuador found Chevron liable for environmental damage in Ecuador and awarded…$9.5 billion to the villagers who sued the company. Chevron refused to pay and instead sued New York lawyer Steven Donziger, who led the villagers’ legal team, accusing him of obtaining the award through bribery and corruption. After a civil trial in Manhattan, a federal district judge last year sided with Chevron, determining that the award was tainted by fraud…That verdict is currently on appeal with the 2nd Circuit, and Mr. Donziger has denied wrongdoing.