Amazon Watch Response to Decision to Uphold Flawed Chevron Retaliatory Lawsuit
Amazon Watch is extremely disappointed by the decision of the 2nd Circuit Appeals court to uphold Chevron's RICO SLAPP suit filed in retaliation for the unprecedented victory of contaminated Ecuadorian communities over Chevron in Ecuador. Since the $9.5 billion verdict...Chevron has reneged on its responsibility and sought every opportunity to escape justice...We are shocked that the Appeals Court is completely unconcerned that the factual findings of the lower court rely on the hearsay testimony of a corrupted witness who admits receiving payment in exchange for his testimony. It is a complete miscarriage of justice. By upholding Judge Kaplan's severely flawed and biased decision, the justices of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals impugnes the entire Ecuadorian judiciary based on the often contradictory testimony of a single compromised witness...It is well established that Chevron...deliberately dumped 18 billion gallons of toxic wastewater into the Amazon rainforest, resulting in an environmental disaster and a severe health crisis for tens of thousands of people...It is extremely disturbing that...the U.S. judicial system has...played a role in aiding a U.S. company found liable for one of the worst environmental disasters in history based on overwhelming evidence.