Appeals court in NYC puts Chevron on defensive

[Judi Lynn]

Appeals court in NYC puts Chevron on defensive
By LARRY NEUMEISTER, Associated Press Larry Neumeister, Associated Press – 15 mins ago

NEW YORK – A lawyer for energy company Chevron found himself on the defensive Tuesday as he argued that it was urgent that the courts protect the company from an $18 billion judgment against it in Ecuador over damage done to the Ecuadorean rain forest decades ago.

Two judges on a three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reminded attorney Randy Mastro that Chevron once fought hard to have the environmental claims brought on behalf of 30,000 people heard by courts in Ecuador rather than the United States, where lawsuits were first filed in 1993. The lawsuits eventually were moved to Ecuador, where a judge earlier this year issued the judgment against the oil giant. The appeals panel didn't immediately rule.

"Counsel," Judge Rosemary Pooler told Mastro, "you were the one who wanted to try this case in Ecuador."

And Judge Barrington Parker said he remembered presiding over a court hearing when the San Ramon, Calif.-based Chevron Corp. was trying to get the lawsuits moved out of federal court in New York.

More:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110510/ap_on_re_us/us_ecuador_chevron