Chevron dealt new blow in Ecuador pollution case

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/oct/17/chevron-blow-ecuador-pollution


The plaintiffs say Texaco, which was bought by Chevron in 2001, is responsible for hazardous waste dumped in the Amazon in the 1970s and 80s. Photograph: Guillermo Granja/Reuters

Ecuadorean plaintiffs on Tuesday said an order issued by a court in the Andean country lets them seize $200m (£124m) worth of assets belonging to Chevron in a new legal blow to the US oil company.

The plaintiffs from villages in the oil-rich Amazon won an $18.2bn case against the oil giant over claims that Texaco, bought by Chevron in 2001, contaminated the area from 1964 to 1992. Damages were increased to $19bn in July.

Among the assets ordered turned over are $96.3m that Ecuador's government owes Chevron, money held in Ecuadorean bank accounts by Chevron, and licensing fees generated by the use of the company's trademarks in the country, the plaintiffs said.

"This is a huge first step for the rainforest villagers on the road to collecting the entire $19bn judgement," Pablo Fajardo, the lead lawyer for the communities, said on Tuesday, a day after the order was issued.