Dec 1, 2008 4:50 pm US/Pacific
Chevron Cleared By Jury In Deadly Nigeria Protest
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ―
-
-
A Chevron sign at a San Francisco gas station.
AP
A federal jury on Monday cleared Chevron Corp. of responsibility for any human rights abuses during a violent protest on a company oil platform in Nigeria a decade ago.
Human rights groups had sued the San Ramon-based company under a centuries-old law allowing foreigners to file lawsuits in U.S. courts alleging international law violations.
Niger Delta villagers injured during the demonstration sued the company in federal court nearly 10 years ago after the Nigerian military killed two protesters who had occupied the platform.
Jurors in San Francisco backed Chevron claims that the Nigerian government was responsible for the violent response.
Chevron said its workers were held hostage for days and that protesters were rioting and threatening troops.
Chevron attorney Bob Mittelsteadt told the jury that the company regretted the violence but characterized the Nigerian military's response as a rescue mission. Chevron said the protesters held more than 100 of its workers hostage for three days and didn't respond to negotiations.
The plaintiffs' lawyers said the villagers were peaceful and preparing to leave when they were attacked.
The verdict is a setback for human rights activists hoping to jump-start the use of the Alien Tort Claims Act, adopted in 1789 as part of the original laws that created the federal judicial system.
The act lay dormant for nearly two hundred years, with only three known cases brought to a U.S. court through 1980.
Now roughly two dozen federal lawsuits against U.S.-based multinationals invoking the law are pending across the country. This is the second time a jury has rejected such a case.
An Alien Tort Claims Act lawsuit has never won at trial, though several companies have settled such challenges before they reached a jury.
(© 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Click to enlarge
Lawmakers Seek Cash From UC Property Holdings 17 mins ago 
Stumble It!
Comments