The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has ruled in favour of Chevron Corp. in the latest appeal in the case brought by Ecuadorian residents of the Amazon for Texaco's environmental damage of the forest. The decision upheld the previous finding that the $9.5 billion judgment against Chevron for oil pollution in the rainforest was a result of bribery and fraud. The decision comes 23 years after the environmental disaster. In February 2011, an Ecuadorian judge awarded the plaintiffs $18 billion for environmental damage caused by Texaco during its operation of an oil consortium in the Amazon from 1972 to 1990. This was later reduced to $9.5 billion. The US Court found that the case record reveals corruption, coercion, fraud, and bribery. The Ecuadorians' attorneys will examine appeal options.