Today is the day that Steven Donziger might be released from house arrest for the crime of attempting to hold Chevron accountable for catastrophic environmental damage in Ecuador.
For those who don't know. Donziger helped over 30,000 farmers and Indigenous people in Ecuador successfully sue Chevron for intentional illegal waste dumping. The plaintiffs were awarded $9.5 billion.
In response, Chevron sold all their assets in Ecuador and fled the country, then sued Donziger in New York. Chevron claimed that Donziger bribed the judge who oversaw their case. All evidence for this alleged bribery came from another Ecuadorian judge who later fully recanted their statement after it came out that Chevron had paid him $12,000 dollars a month and helped him and his family relocate to the US.
Despite this, the judge who oversaw the case in NY, Lewis Kaplan, ordered Donziger to pay 800,000 dollars to Chevron, and charged him with contempt when he refused to give Chevron his laptop and phone. When the Southern District of New York declined to prosecute Donziger for contempt, Kaplain appointed a private law firm that had ties to Chevron to prosecute the case.
Despite only being charged with a misdemeanor, Donziger has been under house arrest for more than a year, a completely unprecedented punishment.
The trial to determine whether or not Donziger will be released from house arrests is happening today.
I'm leaving a lot out of the OP, but if you want read more about the case, The Intercept and The Nation have fantastic write-ups:
https://theintercept.com/2020/01/29/chevron-ecuador-lawsuit-steven-donziger/
https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/steven-donziger-chevron/
This is one of the most clear-cut examples of a private corporation, using the US justice system to personally destroy someone who stood against them. It is infuriating and deserves more mainstream coverage.
(OP by the magnificent doomspore)
For those who don't know. Donziger helped over 30,000 farmers and Indigenous people in Ecuador successfully sue Chevron for intentional illegal waste dumping. The plaintiffs were awarded $9.5 billion.
In response, Chevron sold all their assets in Ecuador and fled the country, then sued Donziger in New York. Chevron claimed that Donziger bribed the judge who oversaw their case. All evidence for this alleged bribery came from another Ecuadorian judge who later fully recanted their statement after it came out that Chevron had paid him $12,000 dollars a month and helped him and his family relocate to the US.
Despite this, the judge who oversaw the case in NY, Lewis Kaplan, ordered Donziger to pay 800,000 dollars to Chevron, and charged him with contempt when he refused to give Chevron his laptop and phone. When the Southern District of New York declined to prosecute Donziger for contempt, Kaplain appointed a private law firm that had ties to Chevron to prosecute the case.
Despite only being charged with a misdemeanor, Donziger has been under house arrest for more than a year, a completely unprecedented punishment.
The trial to determine whether or not Donziger will be released from house arrests is happening today.
I'm leaving a lot out of the OP, but if you want read more about the case, The Intercept and The Nation have fantastic write-ups:
https://theintercept.com/2020/01/29/chevron-ecuador-lawsuit-steven-donziger/
https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/steven-donziger-chevron/
This is one of the most clear-cut examples of a private corporation, using the US justice system to personally destroy someone who stood against them. It is infuriating and deserves more mainstream coverage.
(OP by the magnificent doomspore)
