Steven R. Donziger is an American lawyer, a former public defender who came to prominence for representing the plaintiffs (thousands of Amazon villagers) in the Lago Agrio oil field

Lago Agrio oil field

The Lago Agrio oil field is an oil-rich area in the Ecuadorian province of Sucumbíos, discovered in the 1960s. The Lago Agrio field is known internationally for the serious ecological problems that oil development has created there, including water pollution, soil contamination, deforestation and...

 case against the former well operator Texaco

Texaco

Texaco is the name of an American oil retail brand. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owns the Havoline motor oil brand....

, now part of Chevron Corporation

Chevron Corporation

Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation headquartered in San Ramon, California, United States and active in more than 180 countries. It is engaged in every aspect of the oil, gas, and geothermal energy industries, including exploration and production; refining,...

. On Feb 14th 2011, a local court in Ecuador ordered Chevron Corporation

Chevron Corporation

Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation headquartered in San Ramon, California, United States and active in more than 180 countries. It is engaged in every aspect of the oil, gas, and geothermal energy industries, including exploration and production; refining,...

 to pay $18.1 billion for the benefit of Donziger's clients (Amazon villagers).

Education & Career

Donziger has a law degree from Harvard University

Harvard University

Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...

 & before taking on Chevron Corporation

Chevron Corporation

Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation headquartered in San Ramon, California, United States and active in more than 180 countries. It is engaged in every aspect of the oil, gas, and geothermal energy industries, including exploration and production; refining,...

 18 years ago in the Lago Agrio oil field

Lago Agrio oil field

The Lago Agrio oil field is an oil-rich area in the Ecuadorian province of Sucumbíos, discovered in the 1960s. The Lago Agrio field is known internationally for the serious ecological problems that oil development has created there, including water pollution, soil contamination, deforestation and...

 case, he had never brought a civil lawsuit.

Controversy

Chevron employed a law firm that dug up evidence of disturbing nature against Donziger. A scientific expert said that his name had been signed in a report that was submitted to the Ecuadorian court which he had not written. In another evidence, plaintiffs' American advisers wrote reports for one of the experts, who was supposed to be neutral as he working for the Ecuadorian judge. Based on these evidence, US court ordered Donziger to submit all confidential documents including his personal diaries, e-mails and hard drive. US court also ordered a filmmaker to turn over outtakes of a documentary film on the case, Crude. The documentary captured Donziger saying,

"This is Ecuador, okay?.....If there's a thousand people around the courthouse, you're going to get what you want".

and in a response to a comment that the judge will be killed if he ruled for Chevron, Donziger replied jokingly,

"might not be, but....he thinks he will be...which is just as good".

External links

• http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/abraham/detail?entry_id=73110
• http://www.chevron.com/ecuador/
• http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/14/us-ecuador-chevron-analysis-idUSTRE71D7IJ20110214