Suit against Chevron gets go-ahead

Chevron Corp. can be sued in a U.S. court for a subsidiary’s alleged collusion with the Nigerian government in attacks that killed and wounded villagers protesting the oil company’s practices, a federal judge in San Francisco has ruled. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston had previously ruled in 2004 that the lawsuit against the San Ramon parent company could proceed, saying a jury should be allowed to decide whether Chevron’s control over its subsidiary was so extensive that the company should be held responsible for any wrongdoing. Chevron sought reconsideration, citing a U.S. Supreme Court ruling later in 2004 that limited the scope of the Alien Tort Statute, a law passed by the first Congress in 1789 that allowed foreigners to sue in U.S. courts for international human rights violations. The company also argued that evidence uncovered since Illston’s original ruling dispelled any connection between the parent company and the bloodshed in Nigeria. Image source: ratical.org

News selected by Covalence | Country: USA, Nigeria | Company: Chevron | Source: San Francisco Chronicle