Three years ago an Ecuadorian court’s US$19 billion judgment against Chevron for causing contamination in the Amazon region won wild applause from many environmental groups. The award, a record for an environmental lawsuit, seemed to usher in a new era in which impoverished farmers and indigenous people could stand up to one of the world’s largest oil companies, demand redress for alleged environmental crimes and win. But since that Feb. 2011 ruling, the celebration has faded. Chevron has refused to pay, claiming the Ecuadorian decision was tainted with corruption. And its phalanx of lawyers has successfully challenged or temporarily blocked the Amazonian plaintiffs in every country where the plaintiffs have tried to seize Chevron assets to force compensation. Chevron chalked up another, different sort... [Log in to read more]