Judge throws out suit against Chevron

Contra Costa Times ^ | 8/8/7 | wire and staff

[SmithL]

A judge dismissed three Ecuadorians from a lawsuit against San Ramon-based Chevron Corp., saying attorneys "manufactured" their claims that the company's chemical dumping in their country caused cancer.

U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco threw out the claims against Chevron, the second-biggest U.S. oil company, Aug. 3. He blamed lawyers representing the Ecuadorians for fabricating their illnesses.

Seven residents of Ecuador's Oriente region sued, claiming they contracted cancer due to Texaco Inc. and Texaco Petroleum Co.'s, now part of Chevron, contamination of rain forests.

The case relies in part on Gloria Chamba, who in the complaint claimed her son contracted leukemia from the chemical dumping.

Interviews revealed that Chamba's son and Gonzales had never been diagnosed with cancer, according to Alsup's ruling.

Chevron spokesman Don Campbell said the false claim identified by Alsup "is a strong reflection" of the accusations the company faced.

[SmithL]

Alsup, William Haskell

Born 1945 in Jackson, MS

Federal Judicial Service:
Judge, U. S. District Court, Northern District of California
Nominated by William J. Clinton on March 24, 1999, to a seat vacated by Thelton Eugene Henderson; Confirmed by the Senate on July 30, 1999, and received commission on August 17, 1999.

Education:
Mississippi State University, B.S., 1967

Harvard University, J.D., 1971

Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government, M.P.P., 1971

Professional Career:
Law clerk, Justice William O. Douglas, Supreme Court of the United States, 1971-1972
Private practice, San Francisco, CA, 1972-1978
Assistant to U.S. Solicitor General, U.S. Department of Justice, 1978-1980
Private practice, San Francisco, CA, 1980-1998
Special counsel, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 1998
Private practice, San Francisco, CA, 1998-1999


Race or Ethnicity: White

Gender: Male

[Michael.SF.]

He blamed lawyers representing the Ecuadorians for fabricating their illnesses.

Two things are sure to happen in Richmond every time the refinery has a leak:

Dozens of people will report to the local ER's with 'symptoms' and ambulance chasing lawyers will be there to sign them up.

[Michael.SF.]

Classify this under the heading of Blind squirrel finds acorn.

[Logophile]

A judge dismissed three Ecuadorians from a lawsuit against San Ramon-based Chevron Corp., saying attorneys "manufactured" their claims that the company's chemical dumping in their country caused cancer. . . . He blamed lawyers representing the Ecuadorians for fabricating their illnesses.

Will the judge take the next logical step and punish the lawyers for their attempt to deceive the court?

[SmithL]

I’d love to see that!

[Red Badger]

Just suing the companies Americans won’t sue?.........

[marron]

My memory is that Texaco ceded its oil concessions to the national oil company with the agreement that the national oil company would assume any and all liability. They also agreed to pay a fairly large amount toward clean-up of those oil-fields, which they did.

The lawyers have been trying to get around that ever since. Its gone back and forth between Ecuadorian and US courts for years.

[Bushbacker1]

Grabbing my chest hollering “I’m having the big one!” A judge in Kalifornia, a Clinton appointee, no less, made this ruling!