NYC appeals judges put Chevron lawyer on defensive over $18 billion Ecuadorean judgment

[Judi Lynn]

NYC appeals judges put Chevron lawyer on defensive over $18 billion Ecuadorean judgment
LARRY NEUMEISTER
Associated Press
3:41 p.m. EDT, September 16, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) — Judges on a federal appeals court put a lawyer for Chevron Inc. on the defensive Friday, expressing skepticism that a Manhattan judge can shield the company from an $18 billion judgment in Ecuador for contaminating the rainforest.

The Ecuadorean plaintiffs want to stop a civil trial scheduled for November in New York that would determine whether the judgment handed down by an Ecuadorean judge in February was obtained fairly.

The three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals did not immediately rule on their request. But the judges made clear that they believe Chevron has overreached with its efforts to persuade a federal judge in New York to permanently strike down the judgment.

U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan barred collection of the award after concluding that Chevron was likely to prove that lawyers had manipulated a corrupt legal system in Ecuador to secure the judgment.

More:
http://www.mcall.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-us-ecuador-chevron,0,6065506.story