...[A pending case against Chevron] explores the company's alleged complicity in killing one man and injuring three others. The suit was brought under the alien tort statute, which allows U.S. recovery for overseas violations of the law of nations... [The] plaintiffs bar is still gunning for its first trial victory on the theory of "corporate alien tort."... Some industry attorneys dismiss these claims as the fevered imaginings of global ambulance chasers. But, putting aside the merit or prospects of each case, there's no denying the inherent risks of abuse in the business of extraction. [also refers to lawsuits against Texaco, Unocal (both now part of Chevron), Drummond, Talisman; positive steps by BP]