After 22 Years, Appellate Judge in Epic Pollution Case Suggests a Do-Over
The case that pits oil giant Chevron against a New York lawyer started in 1993
U.S. lawyer Steven Donziger during a news conference in Quito, Ecuador, in this Oct. 30, 2003 file photo.
Photographer: Guillermo Legaria/EPAThis article is for subscribers only.
Judge Richard Wesley of the U.S. Court of Appeals in New York has a big, bold idea for the next step in a 22-year-long courtroom war over oil pollution in Ecuador: Start again, from scratch.
Wesley repeatedly suggested the do-over during a lively but inconclusive oral argument on Monday in the case that pits Chevron against Steven Donziger, a controversial New York plaintiffs' lawyer who successfully sued the oil producer in Ecuador, only to find himself branded a racketeer by a federal judge back in Manhattan. Here are highlights from the closely watched case about corporate accountability and alleged attorney misconduct: