Steven Donziger is on trial in federal court docket in New York Metropolis in america for failing to show over his pc, telephones and different digital gadgets and refusing court docket orders to give up his passport in a civil case introduced by Chevron.
A disbarred American lawyer who spent greater than 20 years battling Chevron Corp over air pollution within the Ecuadorian rainforest tried on Monday to fend off felony contempt expenses stemming from a lawsuit towards him by the vitality firm.
Steven Donziger is on trial in federal court docket in New York Metropolis in america for failing to show over his pc, telephones and different digital gadgets and refusing court docket orders to give up his passport within the civil case introduced by Chevron.
US District Choose Loretta Preska is presiding over the case with no jury.
In a gap assertion, prosecuting lawyer Rita Glavin stated that Donziger had consciously chosen to disobey court docket orders to show over his gadgets and paperwork.
“Decisions have penalties,” she stated.
Martin Garbus, arguing for Donziger, painted a distinct image, saying the court docket had not initially been clear about what it needed the lawyer at hand over.
The case is the newest twist in a long-running battle stemming from Donziger’s illustration of villagers in Ecuador’s Lago Agrio area who sought to carry Chevron chargeable for water and soil contamination within the jungle between 1964 and 1992.
Chevron has stated Texaco, which was acquired by Chevron, cleaned up the air pollution, and that state-owned Petroecuador was primarily chargeable for the contamination.
In 2011, Donziger gained a $9.5bn judgement towards Chevron in an Ecuadorian court docket. Later that 12 months, the US firm sued Donziger in Manhattan federal court docket, claiming he and his associates pressured the presiding decide in Ecuador.
US District Choose Lewis Kaplan in 2014 dominated in favour of Chevron, saying the Ecuadorian judgement had been secured by bribery, fraud and extortion.
Chevron sought to recoup cash Donziger reaped on account of the judgement, and Donziger was ordered to show over sure digital gadgets to the corporate’s forensic specialists. When he refused, Kaplan charged him with felony contempt.
Donziger has stated the fees violate his rights to due course of underneath the US Structure.
The Harvard-trained lawyer was disbarred by a state appeals court docket in New York final 12 months.