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Article

6 Dec 2010

Author:
US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

[PDF] Maynas Carijano, et al. v. Occidental Petroleum Corporation, et al. - Opinion

These cross-appeals arise from the petroleum and oil exploration operations conducted by defendant Occidental Peruana (“OxyPeru”), an indirect subsidiary of defendant Occidental Petroleum Corporation (collectively “Occidental”), along the Rio Corrientes in the northern region of Peru. Plaintiffs, 25 members of the Achuar indigenous group dependent for their existence upon the rainforest lands and waterways along the river…sued Occidental…for environmental contamination and release of hazardous waste…Occidental…successfully moved for dismissal on the ground that Peru is a more convenient forum. Plaintiffs timely appeal the dismissal of their suit…Because Occidental failed to meet its burden of demonstrating that Peru is a more convenient forum, and the district court gave insufficient weight to the strong presumption in favor of a domestic plaintiff’s choice of forum, the district court abused its discretion by dismissing the lawsuit without imposing mitigating conditions for the dismissal.

Part of the following timelines

US appeals court rules that toxic pollution lawsuit against Occidental Petroleum brought by indigenous Peruvian group may proceed in USA

Occidental lawsuit (re Achuar communities contamination, Peru)