Lawyers say they won’t try to collect a $9.5 billion judgment against Chevron for damaging the Ecuadorean rain forest until the oil giant completes appeals of a judge’s ruling.
The lawyers said in a conference call with journalists Tuesday that they’ll first allow the appeals process to play out. The ruling is the latest twist in a long-running environmental case.
Chevron Corp. spokesman James Craig said the company will appeal the verdict in Ecuador. He asserted that the trial and the sentence are “the product of fraud and contrary to legitimate scientific evidence.”
The decision Monday came less than a week after a New York federal judge ruled that no Ecuadorean award can be enforced for at least 28 days.
