Americas News
Canadian Court Dismisses Ecuadorian Claim Against Chevron
A Canadian court has dismissed a move by Ecuadorian villagers to win enforcement of a $19 billion judgment against Chevron Corp. over the pollution of a rainforest between 1972 and 1990, energy industry news site Fuel Fix reports.
The black sludge contamination was related to Texaco's operations in Ecuador, but Chevron claims that company dealt with the problem before Chevron bought it in 2001.
The new ruling made Wednesday by Justice David Brown of the Ontario Superior Court finds that Canadian courts have no jurisdiction in the case because the judgment was not against Chevron Canada but its parent company, U.S.-based Chevron Corp.
The Ecuadorian villagers who brought the case have also launched proceedings against the oil giant in Argentina and Brazil, and their lawyer, Alan Lenczer, said they will appeal the Canadian ruling.
"It cannot be right that a multinational company that operates entirely through subsidiaries is immune from the enforcement of a judgment in Canada, particularly where the subsidiary is 100% owned," Lenczner said in a statement.
Chevron spokesman Justin Higgs said the ruling represents a "significant setback" to the Ecuadorians' legal strategy.
"The plaintiffs should be seeking enforcement in the United States - where Chevron Corporation resides," he said.
The legal battle over the pollution issue, which has been going on for two decades, has included a variety of accusations of misdeeds on both sides, according to Reuters.
