Chevron Corp. said a report proposing that the company pay $27 billion for alleged environmental damage in Ecuador should be thrown out because the court-appointed author owns a cleanup company and didn’t disclose his conflict of interest... “…Mr. Cabrera has concealed clear financial conflicts of interest that disqualify him from acting as an independent and objective evaluator...,” Chevron Vice President and General Counsel Hewitt Pate said... Cabrera, a geological engineer..., was appointed…to evaluate the pollution data, assess the effects of alleged contamination on people and the environment and recommend a cleanup plan. Steven Donziger, a New York lawyer representing Ecuadoreans suing Chevron in the case, said Cabrera has disclosed to the court that he worked with a remediation company. He said there’s no proof that the company ever received a contract from PetroEcuador... In a related case...the government of Ecuador asked a U.S. judge in Manhattan today to temporarily halt arbitration started by Chevron...to decide who should pay damages in the pending environmental lawsuit in...Ecuador...