John,
I want to keep you informed on a story that not enough people are following.
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In 1993, an attorney named Steven Donziger brought a class-action lawsuit on behalf of poor Amazonian plaintiffs against Texaco for “massive contamination” caused by their oil drilling. The damage was so bad, it’s often referred to as the “Amazon Chernobyl.”
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Chevron then bought Texaco in 2001, and asked that the trial be moved to Ecuador where the contamination took place, because Chevron insisted the courts there would be more “fair” than in the United States.
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In 2011, Steven Donziger beat Chevron and Ecuadorian courts eventually ordered the oil & gas giant to pay out $9.5 billion in penalties for their pollution. This was a huge victory for the “little guy” in Ecuador who is living with Texaco’s pollution.
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In response, Chevron made it clear they wouldn’t pay the fine. They moved all their assets out of Ecuador, ensuring there was no way to force them to pay up.
Now, John, the story gets even worse. Ever since that judgment against them in 2011, Chevron has been going after Steven Donziger, apparently, to get revenge for winning a judgment against them. He is currently confined to his home, where he is not allowed to work or leave, unless going to visit an attorney. Chevron has made clear: there is no price too high to extract vengeance on this lawyer who dared to hold them accountable.
20 companies around the world are responsible for one third of greenhouse gases emitted. These companies like Chevron are destroying our planet and now they are destroying lives too. We have to hold them accountable, and it starts by getting these “mega-emitters” to pay for the costs of their environmental destruction.
I’m going to be working hard to make sure they are required to do that. In the meantime, I urge you to follow this travesty of justice. There’s a great article from the Intercept here, and I’ll keep you updated as I learn more.
Yours,
Hank
P.S. If you feel this is an important story that not enough people are paying attention to, I encourage you to forward this email to friends so they can be in the loop as well.
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