U.S. Judge's Decision A 'Slap in the Face' to Ecuadorians Fighting to Hold Chevron Accountable For Eco-Disaster in Amazon Rainforest

WASHINGTON, March 7, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Below is a statement by Karen Hinton, spokesperson for the Ecuadorians who recently won a $9.5 billion judgment against Chevron for oil contamination, about today's Southern District Court of New York decision on the preliminary injunction.

"This decision is a slap in the face to the democratic nation of Ecuador and the thousands of Ecuadorian citizens who have courageously fought for 18 years to hold Chevron accountable for committing the world's worst environmental disaster. The trampling of due process in the court's refusal to consider key evidence or hold a hearing to determine the facts is an inappropriate exercise of judicial power that will harm the United States' relationship with Latin America and other parts of the world. It disregards the scholarly and comprehensive 188-page opinion of Ecuadorian Judge Nicolas Zambrano, a well-respected member of Ecuador's judiciary. It also ignores key evidence that Chevron has committed a series of frauds in Ecuador to cover up its unlawful misconduct.

"We want to emphasize that after appeals in Ecuador the Ecuadorian plaintiffs retain their full right to lawfully enforce the judgment of their own country's courts in any of the dozens of nations around the world where Chevron has assets. In the meantime, we will appeal the decision on multiple grounds."

Contact: Karen Hinton at 703-798-3109 or [email protected]

SOURCE Amazon Defense Coalition

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