Chevron Corp.'s legal battle with indigenous groups in Ecuador appears to be far from over...The $27 billion lawsuit…is expected to drag out to international tribunals and courts. Lawyers for the plaintiffs believe an initial verdict could come as early as this year. A Chevron spokesman says that any possible appeals could take decades…Texaco [acquired by Chevron in 2001] had formed a consortium in 1967 with…Petroecuador…Chevron blames Petroecuador for most of the pollution…Petroecuador spokesman Byron Galarza declined to comment on the case…The plaintiffs say that the remediation agreement is invalid because the company never cleaned the pits, adding that the agreement didn't release it from third-party claims.