Did Chevron Imprison Environmental Lawyer Steve Donziger

[@van7111]

This seems like the lawyer version of arresting someone without any legal justification but then jailing them for resisting arrest.

[@Ashitaka255]

I hate lawyers so much. They're always like "actually in this case we're only considering law x and y, not z, so tough luck, even though z is a clear and obvious explanation why you're guilty under law x, and y".

[@panicbutton4380]

Well put.

[@DneilB007]

I’m curious: if Chevron’s key witness in the RICO case has subsequently admitted that he perjured himself with that testimony, isn’t that in itself sufficient grounds for appeal?

[@eastvandb]

I wonder if it's a jurisdiction issue, since that admission of perjury was in a foreign court. (Not suggesting that's legitimate, but perhaps it's one of those things that's legal even though it's ethically wrong.)

[@bodaciouschad]

I think it is a matter of whether the individual judge wants to consider that kind of information in their judgement. Once appointed, a judge can make any decision they want for any reason. They're expected to base their choices on legal precedent, but that is just an established norm. They don't have to provide an explanation. So if they or their family/ friends can be adequately compensated/ spared penalization over their rulings, they need only provide a loosely legally plausible excuse for a ruling. It's one of those fundemental flaws with the judicial systems: judges are flawed people, too.

[@eastvandb]

@@bodaciouschad Yeah. My heart tells me he is completely corrupt. Sadly, my heart's deep knowledge isn't admissible in court!

[@MoireFly]

Just listening to this whole saga makes you wonder about judge Kaplan's independence. It's all rather remarkable. Best case; he took something personally and this is a vendetta against an uppity lawyer; but (without knowing one iota about the case) I can't help but wonder whether Kaplan is himself entirely above board. (And given chevron's reach and history, it's difficult to believe intentionally corrupting a judge would be a line they couldn't cross).

[@itsjkforreal]

@@MoireFly with respect, imagining there is Any line an oil company wouldn't cross is a self-comforting thought, contradicted thoroughly by a brief sketch of history.

[@o.o4566]

So they had the suit moved to Ecuador then when they lost claimed it was unfair and criminal for it to be there…… this is insane…

[@Shrekfromthehitmovieshrek]

Yeah a bit confusing on how they could do that

[@ParadoxicalThird]

@@Shrekfromthehitmovieshrek bribes. Every single judge or person involved in this case was paid millions of dollars to quietly let things happen a certain way

[@Finwolven]

@@ParadoxicalThird It doesn't cost that much to bribe judges in US or in Equador.

[@acastanza]

Then they bribed a judge to lie about being bribed, that judge recanted under oath and admitted to perjury and that still wasn't enough. It's not just insane, every judge that hasn't thrown out Chevron's utterly corrupt case should be removed and prosecuted.

[@interloper8029]

Chevron: this case should be tried in Ecuador Also Chevron: we can ignore the verdict of the court because the entire Ecuador legal system is a Rico enterprise.

[@Vixikats]

"Who's against the rule of law. An individual laywer or a massive multi-trillion dollar industry head who has enacted atrocities on nations, bribed governments and blatantly ignored the rule of law for much of its existence?" LegalEagle giving us a real Scooby-Doo mystery today.

[@sungod9797]

For the record Donziger was tried in court last Friday (10/1/21) for his contempt of court charge, after 2 years of house arrest. He was sentenced to 6 months in federal prison. The private prosecution company in this case also had Chevron as a client…

[@taylorbug9]

What. The. Fork.

[@galoisdeer2660]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but it sounds like Donzinger was accused by a guy and given penalties, and then that guy was found to be a complete fraud, but the charges and penalties still stood??? It didn’t invalidate everything???

[@autumn64fromdeltarunechapter3]

Welcome to america

[@-argih]

Search for the story of Joe Arridy, a mentally disabled person was convicted of rapping and killing a girl even when 3 psychologist found him incapable, another person confessed that he did it and a witness confirmed that and said that it was only one person that did that. He was sentenced to death and is known as "the happiest death row prisoner"

[@cl8804]

May DOG bless these United Sh*tholes Of America - land of the fee and home of the slave!

[@TheDeadnaughty]

no the problem here is that the contempt of court is completely separate with the actual oil dispute. Donzinger has refused to follow the orders of judge, that the case itself might be baseless isn't relevant to the fact that you have to follow a judge's orders no matter what. Its like a dirty cop showing up at your door with a legal search warrant and a bag of weed that he tells you he is going to plant in your house to use as an excuse to arrest you. The obvious reaction would be to deny him entry because he said hes going to try and frame you but in fact he has a legal search warrant so you have to let him in.

[@icarue993]

@@-argih who was sentenced to death? The rappist or the mentally disabled one?

[@Riokaii]

Ok so explain this to me. Logically if his sentencing would be 6 months, and he has served over 700 days (2 years), and they decide his sentence counts time already served, Then how is that not false imprisonment for the duration of 1.5 years on the part of the state? The slow machinations of the legal system are no excuse for the state to deprive someone of their right to freedom for 4x longer than their sentence would be, even assuming they are guilty from the outset.

[@dr.floridamanphd]

My understanding is that someone is held in contempt of court until they comply with the court order they’re being held in contempt for. So if he keeps refusing to comply his house arrest will continue. But with a court ruling coming down the pipe he’ll soon be free again.

[@petestanton1945]

*captured state

[@xWhiteRice]

unfortunately this happens all the time where someone is in jail for a prolonged period of time awaiting trial for something relatively small

[@karlorrocks3204]

As I understand it, he is being held in civil contempt for refusing to comply with a court order in this case. It's not part of his sentence for the conviction, it's time that he has to serve until / unless he turns over the records. He would still be in jail or house arrest even if he had never been charged with criminal contempt since the civil contempt findings have not yet been cleared.

[@c-bass9968]

This has been the basis for many people’s release based on the 6th amendment’s right to a speedy trial. Steven D had not in any way waved this right

[@NoriMori1992]

Wait, so… At The Hague, Judge Guerra _recanted_ his claims of having accepted bribes from Donziger, and no evidence of ghostwriting was found… and yet they still ruled that the original judgement against Chevron was corruptly obtained? Wot?

[@Kobolds_in_a_trenchcoat]

Seriously, how did that not get everything thrown out immediately, if not get chevron slapped with a slapp suit?

[@smkfet]

The Hague are probably just as corrupt as Kaplan and our supreme court

[@ParadoxicalThird]

Spoilers: Chevron paid those judges money too. Or threatened them, either one works for giant companies.

[@SonsOfLorgar]

@@smkfet not likely.

[@Edge-xy3fv]

Welcome to law school

[@deisiyunga]

As an Ecuadorian, I'm very happy to see you and other KZbin personalities bringing attention to this topic. Chevron has been one of the most destructive forces my country has seen and their attempts to cover up what they did are laughable for us although they can do a pretty good job by paying media/lawyers/PR strategists to make the country look like the guilty part. Surely more work needs to be done but any attempt to make the case relevant again is appreciated. Thank you very much @legaleagle

[@KingoftheJuice18]

Moral of the story: If you're a powerful enough corporation, then you can get your case moved to Ecuador when that suits your interests and later, if you lose, sue in America that the Ecuadorian judgment not be enforced.

[@dannyvfilms]

I met Donziger when we did a remote livestream highlighting his house arrest. This case is absurdly and insultingly frustrating and the man needs to get out of his house.

[@bluchu22]

We’ll it looks like he will get out of his house for a few months. Unfortunately, that’s only because he’ll have to spend a few months in jail.

[@eastvandb]

@@bluchu22 Unless he gets time served.

[@eastvandb]

@ViperN Are you being sarcastic, or are you suggesting that's a good thing?

[@christineherrmann205]

The answer is yes. And everyone should be concerned about a corporation having this sort of reach and ability to finesse the system. Thank you for talking about this. I'm sad for the people of Ecuador, and, as someone who lives next to a Superfund site that was purchased - and eventually cleaned up - by Honeywell, I have some idea what can happen.

[@patrickiamonfire965]

It been like since the beginning. How about help spread awareness. It’s small but it still counts and will create avalanche. It just gonna take time, patience, calm mind with good attitude like being kind but firm and smart. Small skirmishes can win the war and big battles. All this can happen by spreading awareness but not by force with smart peaceful talks and preventing misinformation.

[@NocturnalAegis]

@@patrickiamonfire965 The issue is that requires many people to continuously fight. I cant speak for everyone but if nothing happens for long enough its hard for me to stay energetically opposed rather than just extremely depressed

[@patrickiamonfire965]

@@NocturnalAegis I understand . That’s how they planned it. Either we keep on fighting or get tired and go home. But the thing I said is not that you should go for big blows or fight continuously but to do small parts in your capacity or limits. Not everyone can fight all the time. Strike up conversation with people if you can. Find peaceful and effective ways to convince people and make people aware of this. If you can’t do every day or once a week or occasionally or at least when you feel like it. Just make sure you don’t become them and be aware of them. So that when the time is right you can help. It’s about the effort in your capacity. The difference comes later on. You may or may not see it in your lifetime but you can say you help in your capacity. It takes time lot of it. Can’t be done in one instance.

[@hoathanatos6179]

Pax Americana, an idea that goes back to the Monroe Doctrine, even if the name was not used until the reconstruction period, shows that the US has always been against actual isolationism, albeit they used such a term to talk about international affairs in regards to Europe. Manifest Destiny crossing over the borders of the continental US and into a hegemonic role in the remainder of the Americas is just a part of our reality that most US citizens ignore. The US Supreme Court has even supported allowing US multinationals to behave in a criminal manner once they leave US soil and has essentially said that legally you can't financially or legally target a US company for crimes they commit in other countries. That those crimes have to be dealt with within the country where the crimes have been committed. This is a decision only made recently by the conservative super majority that exists in the Supreme Court, but even then it had support from all but 2 judges. All this does is normalize and promote further criminal acts by US corporations out of country and helps to show us the reality that the US was partially founded on under the Federalists and Jacksonian Democrats that would usurp that of Jefferson's and Madison's views on the subject.

[@somexp12]

The people of Ecuador (really the government - individual citizens only know what they hear) do not sincerely care about this beyond it being a vehicle to acquire foreign money. Since Texaco left Lago Agrio, Ecuador has done nothing but expand the operation many times over. Most images of Ecuadoran oil pollution (which they claim came from Texaco) are actually much more recent spills by Petroecuador. In reality, this was all to Ecuador's benefit. Oil accounts for about half of their export market, Texaco provided the initial investment that set them up with this industry. Since 1976 (only 4 or so years after true oil production began) Ecuador owned the majority of the operation and collected the majority of the profits. Having recently seem the new Dune movie, I suppose the beginning of that film represents most people's fantasy of what happened. They imagine that Texaco/Chevron flocked in like the Harkonnen, extracted resources in the messiest way possible, and left without compensating or consulting with any locals. Nothing could be less true. Multiple regimes or Ecuadoran leadership were fully party to this. The injured parties (and they've sustained much more damage since Texaco left) are a small minority of Ecuadorans that lived as hunter-gatherers in the jungle. Other than them, everyone in the area is there only because of oil.

[@jacobvardy]

No mention that both judges Kaplan and Preska have long standing financial ties to Chevron?

[@Dan-xn8by]

And the court appointed prosecutor, Glavin, also had ties to Chevron

[@Ridcally]

@@---nu4ed if the court has special interests aligned with one of the parties involved it sure as hell should be material And if it's not in the US, well then, I guess their legal system is even more rotten than I thought

[@steve1978ger]

@@---nu4ed who is legally to determine whether a judge has a conflict of interest?

[@Freekymoho]

@@steve1978ger unfortunately i think the judges themselves have to recognize it and excuse themselves

[@ArtemisCartography]

@@Freekymoho If that is the case then this is a thoroughly broken system that relies on people able to break a rule to be unwilling to do so. It's at best incredibly naive, and at worst intentionally designed to be abused.

[@shanequigley2767]

Knowing that Chevron hasn't been held accountable for that pollution is sickening

[@allenfogarty2384]

I would say boycott but I have no doubt that the other oil companies are just as foul.

[@goldenwarrior1186]

@@allenfogarty2384Maybe boycott all the oil companies (now that I’ve typed that I realize that doesn’t sound very realistic. I guess it depends what we mean by “boycott”)

[@zippymufo9765]

​@@goldenwarrior1186Pretty silly on your part. Do you even realize that most forms of plastic are derived from oil? Are you going to boycott plastic?

[@mermaidismyname]

I went into this thinking maybe this was an "it's complicated" type of thing where everyone was in the wrong but no, I think donzinger is totally in the right here and refusing to obey the court is the type of civil disobedience that seems perfectly justified in this situation

[@TitaniumDragon]

There's literally video evidence of Donzinger engaging in corrupt acts, because Donzinger was an idiot who created a fake documentary to put pressure on Chevron during the lawsuit. Chevron subpoenaed the footage from the "documentary" and got a lot of footage of Donzinger wining and dining expert witnesses while telling them how to testify and the expert witnesses explaining that what Donzinger was arguing wasn't true, but Donzinger said it didn't matter and basically said that they could pull the wool over the eyes of the people down there due to their lack of education. We also have emails and similar communications between Donzinger and the corrupt officials down there, as well as video and audio of him communicating with and talking about them, due to the "documentary" and other discovery. And Guera's hard drive included a number of draft decisions written for the judge that were written prior to the judge putting them out for a number of other cases. There's pretty much zero question that Donzinger acted in a corrupt manner.

[@grendelum]

how easy it is to take away a citizen’s rights and property yet the corporation walks away free and clear despite clear evidence of guilt... way to go america.

[@definitelyhuman3512]

You see, the answer is violence towards rich people

[@CaptWesStarwind]

Capitalism. Killing people for profit since 1801.

[@BlueWoWTaylan]

@@TheRatsintheWalls That won't do anything since the corporations will just bride the justice system and the government to suppress all the protests etc and put their thugs in police uniforms to beat up the protestors.

[@volodymyrboitchouk]

@@TheRatsintheWalls not if there are still rich people

[@SonsOfLorgar]

@@TheRatsintheWalls change will never come from above. You are delusional if you seriously think there is any way to vote in enough incorruptable representatives to overwhelm the active sabotage by over 100 years of corporate lobbyist bribes and grifting...

[@Mewse1203]

An admitted liar and corrupt judge who has changed his story multiple times who is also on Chevron's payroll is believed over an officer of the court. This sounds like a giant travesty of justice.

[@aceg81]

That part just blows my mind. The judge admits going looking for bribes, and he's the star witness against Donziger?

[@Mewse1203]

@@aceg81 WHILE being paid by the people bringing the suit.

[@solrinin]

And I'm sure no money was passed into any judges hands during all of it. Oil companies are pretty well known for being super ethical and all.

[@clarkh3314]

true and real Kappa

[@icarue993]

I love sharing this fact, but do you know why oil refineries in the ocean are so high up? Because they paid environmental scientists to examine if global warming was real. They found out it was and then not share that info and actively saying otherwise... but then build refineries really high up. . . This was in the 1950s

[@ErebosGR]

@@icarue993 Dude, the ocean also has huge waves. They didn't build them high up because they feared global warming...

[@icarue993]

@@ErebosGR Like huge waves + Global warming.

[@ceaseless246]

bought and paid for by the federalist society

[@severalwolves]

This is a pretty thorough summary of the whole Chevron/Donziger fiasco, but I’m disconcerted by the handful of factors he breezes past or just straight-up ignores in order to justify the unprecedented scumbaggery of Kaplan & Preska… D:

[@solgato5186]

Saying the judges are crooked af puts a target on him.

[@RedheadJack]

A: Glad you're covering this B: can't believe Chevron has done such an astounding job at covering up this horrific human rights violation of a purposeful waste dump

[@munstrumridcully]

This case is a disgrace to the criminal injustice system. I hold nothing _but_ contempt for the courts and their consistent abuse of power.

[@petestanton1945]

Maybe he can take it 2 the supreme court cuz they're real good

[@Kobolds_in_a_trenchcoat]

@@petestanton1945 BAHAHAHAHA!

[@timschwab7193]

Worth noting both Preska and Kaplan both have ties to Chevron and did not excuse themselves from the case. Also he was found guilty in the RICO case that was based entirely off the testimony of a man who admitted he lied but Kaplan decided to ignore that and keep the testimony.

[@Freekymoho]

Truly astounding legal work; surely no corruption is taking place here

[@PandemoniumMeltDown]

@@Freekymoho R I C O

[@TylerJBrown192]

While Steve Donziger's statement regarding the Judge after judgement might be emotionally charged, you glossed over an extremely important fact around the two Judges appointed to the case having direct ties to Chevron. Donziger isn't a perfect human being, but Chevron is in the wrong here in almost every conceivable way, including during this current court proceeding.

[@0oShwavyo0]

I dont see what Steve has done wrong at all, sounds like he never bribed anyone, and I don't know that turning over his laptop or documents to judges with financial ties to Chevron is a great idea... if he's willing to eat the contempt charges that sounds like his business lol

[@MrSlowestD16]

He didn't pass judgement 1 way or another on the rulings, what was fair, what wasn't, what ties people may or may not have had, etc. He purely talked about the sequence of events in the court cases. He didn't gloss over anything, you had bad expectations since he wasn't giving his personal take on it. He talked about decisions made and the reasons the courts issued, not whether he agreed with them, not whether he believes they were made in good faith, not any of that.

[@TheFamousMockingbird]

@@MrSlowestD16 he did gloss over stuff, like he did not mention that it was initially supposed to be a trial by jury bec chevron was filing suit for 60 BILLION dollars, and less than two weeks before the trial withdrew the request by damages to make it decided solely by a judge, also that the private firm had represented chevron twice in recent years, 2018 the most recent and had ties, also that judge kaplan hand appointed judge preska and knew her extremely well instead of having it be transfered randomly as it is supposed to be done. kaplan had written in the past several times favorably of chevron. legal eagle is kinda a shill

[@MrSlowestD16]

@@TheFamousMockingbird You fell victim to the same thing as I responded to. Neither of those are relevant when describing the case history. "What [I feel] should have happened" isn't part of history, nor is "why [I think] something happened." Those are subjective and lean heavily on your opinions.

[@killerrabbit4448]

He’s a lawyer. He would care more to be hired by chevron than defend a fellow lawyer.

[@tyler3876]

How, as a judge, can you deny discovery into witness tampering, especially when it involves millions??? Either laziness, corruption, or incompetence, seems to me.

[@fclp67]

Or some weird blind belief in the greatness of capitalism

[@KuK137]

Objection - this video omitted key allegation in this case, the fact Chevron specifically sought this case before judge Kaplan because said judge is extremely pro-corporate and almost never found for private people in trials, always for big companies. So, if there is kangaroo, bribed court, it's vastly more likely it's the US, not Ecuador one...

[@GamesFromSpace]

So Donzinger is rigidly held to obeying the courts, but Chevron can sue to ignore a judgement they don't like.

[@jimslim4227]

The whole act of moving a trial to a country where they can tamper and bribe freely and then contest that judgement should be illegal.

[@Bodyknock]

Chevron is also held to obeying the courts, the difference is that they sued to a prior judgement blocked while Donziger is simply refusing to comply with the court order for his documents. Basically you're allowed to sue over things you dispute, and you can appeal judgement you disagree with, but you can't just ignore a court order altogether.

[@snowballeffect7812]

@@Bodyknock you technically can and Donziger was willing to face the consequences, but the confinement and duration of the trial on top of all the apparent conflicts of interests basically backfired on him leading to much worse consequences than he was likely anticipating as a result of simply going to trial, let alone the final penalty.

[@Bodyknock]

@@snowballeffect7812 Ok, to clarify when I said "you can't ignore a court order" I meant "you can't LEGALLY ignore a court order".

[@bobfg3130]

@@Bodyknock I'm pretty sure Chevron ignores it and nothing is happening to them.

[@georgearnold841]

Of course Donzinger wouldn't want to hand over the information as he was/is patently aware that the court is bought by Chevron and nothing would be excluded from Chevron's perusal.

[@irighterotica]

This is exactly what I was thinking. We all know corruption is ingrained at every level of the US government and that our judicial system typically favors the side with the most capital. Dozinger is undeniably guilty of contempt, but his actions, to me, seem morally justified and his suspicions well-founded. To paraphrase Dr. King, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws-and institutions, I'd argue.

[@dan_goodman]

Also, could be being ignorant here, but he was also trying to appeal to a higher court since maybe the judge wouldn't be one with associations to Chevron?

[@Septimus_ii]

@@irighterotica He's done just enough 'wrong' that it gives an excuse for corrupt legal systems to imprison him

[@irighterotica]

@@Septimus_ii Yet Chevron's wrongdoing, which is so much worse, goes unpunished. Very cool justice system we got here.

[@acat6145]

He ignored a court order you can’t do that

[@Michaelmercado64]

Oh boy, another Chevron lawsuit that will result in an extremely minor fine compared to their profits/more environmental damage, wooo

[@fizgizan]

@@handlebarmustache I’ll bet you’re used to glossing over corporate terrorism.

[@fizgizan]

@@handlebarmustache he’s spent 2 years under house arrest? What kind of take is that?

[@fizgizan]

Oh, a baby-brained take, one of which, the producer barely knows his native tongue.

[@fizgizan]

@@handlebarmustache brunch is cancelled until further notice, you complicit mark.

[@BolognaLover]

@@handlebarmustache piss and moan? These people don't have clean water and also get away with it by having money that they got from the pollination itself. They already won technically.

[@Its__Good]

I'm imaging a room full of Bond villains giving Chevron a round of applause.

[@randyjax09]

The thing I found most disturbing thing about this story was that the SDNY refused to prosecute Donzinger, so the court allowed Chevron to appoint their own prosecutors (who had done legal work for Chevron in the past). I’m not a lawyer, but that just seems unreal to me that a US federal court would allow a corporation to do that. No surprise these two judges are members of the Federalist Society (funded in-part by Chevron).

[@timschwab7193]

Thank you for covering this story, there seems to have been a complete media blackout of it for some reason…

[@dr.floridamanphd]

Probably due to the complexity of it all.

[@christineherrmann205]

"for some reason"

[@badredfinn2982]

Try Democracy Now.

[@petestanton1945]

😀😃

[@euansmith3699]

🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔 hmmm... why could that be..?

[@MeMyselfAndWhoKnowz]

I can't remember the last time I saw the Legal Eagle so hesitant to give their opinion on a case. I kept expecting him to give his take, but it never came.

[@Veladan]

Chevron's actions in this case doubtless gave him cause for caution. I'm surprised he covered this case at all given what Chevron has done.

[@TheFamousMockingbird]

says something about him

[@killerrabbit4448]

As much as he likes to paint himself as morally superior he’s just a lawyer who would defend a company like chevron in a heartbeat.

[@MrMctastics]

When the judge said he went to Chevron to get a bribe, but they refused, I knew he was full of crap. At least he admitted it

[@safcjcp]

He probably went to them and got it

[@abejavadi235]

Wait... So Chevron's ONLY witness admitted under oath that he lied about his testimony, and that evidence was still allowed to stand? Am I following this correctly??

[@karinisaksson1961]

no they also had raw footage from the documentary he made in ecuador showing that one of the "impartial experts" had actually coordinated with the plaintiffs

[@abejavadi235]

@@karinisaksson1961 Ooooh... That changes things.

[@Newt0rz]

@@karinisaksson1961 Yes but from my understanding that 'impartial expert' and his statements were thrown out of court anyways, so it didn't affect the trial.

[@irondon]

You haven’t read much on this trial if you don’t know about the testimony of the consultants and other investors in the scheme that also said goodbye to Donziger once they understood what he was doing

[@abejavadi235]

@@irondon in fact, I haven't read anything on the trial. I only watched this video.

[@MusicoftheDamned]

It says a lot that Judge Guerra is almost definitely the most honest judge in this entire affair even if he (too) was actually bribed. The legal system is such a morbid joke.

[@xxrockraiderxx]

Ok so if I'm understanding this correctly, the people that Chevron paid actually said in court that they were lying for Chevron and yet somehow despite that Chevron didn't get their case against Donzinger thrown out. So apparently you can flagrently break the law and talk about it in court as long as you can prove that the person you're suing also broke the law because then you breaking the law just counts as evidence that they also broke the law. That whole thing is a mess and I'm not actually sure how Chevron got away with it or how the international courts in Den Haag upheld their ruling after the person they paid to lie to the judges in the US told the international courts that he'd been paid to lie on behalf of Chevron. This whole thing smells rotten of back room bribes, and sure Donzinger may have apparently done that once to one judge, but Chevron did it a lot more and basically bragged about it. The whole thing is messed up and the annoying thing is that the original case still stands and would even count as legal in the US but due to Chevron bribing people, none of the original plaintiffs will get the money they are owed. Oil companies are the worst.

[@HellsCowBoy666]

Corporations can do whatever they want, you have to obey the law.

[@cl8804]

May DOG bless these United Sh*tholes Of America - land of the fee and home of the slave!

[@Kay-cp8tg]

Think about it, a militia creates an elite group of female suicide bombers primarily trained to get as close to corporate heads as possible. Other countries have done something similar yet we sit around and take it up the ass from anyone that has more money than us. There are whole generations of people that feel like they have nothing to live for and there is no forgiving for what they have done to us.

[@Magmafrost13]

There arent a lot of good reasons to (allegedly) bribe a judge, but sticking it to an oil company would definitely be one of them. Everyone at Chevron deserves to be in jail. Frankly, they deserve a lot worse.

[@Freekymoho]

Chevron deserves a purge day

[@Kobolds_in_a_trenchcoat]

It's not even clear that he did bribe anyone, no proof, one witness and one with financial support from chevron already, and that's it, hardly a good case.

[@simmerke1111]

@@Kobolds_in_a_trenchcoat One that admitted to lying about it too. These judges are clowns.

[@captainrev4959]

There’s no good reason to bribe a judge full stop. Making it OK to bribe a judge if you’re right doesn’t make any sense because he gets to decide if you’re right if the judge doesn’t?!

[@EdaugEthanbYT]

Not everyone. But the execs definitely do

[@azhrie139]

Oh god the judge is from the federalist society. I was joking about the bribes until now.

[@jtr7377]

I sincerely hope the Federalist Society's reputation gets dragged further through the mud as the years go by. Their influence on our government can be described as that of a cancer.

[@wasprider7239]

They are likely to be one of the major factors people in the future study when they discuss the downfall of America.

[@jtr7377]

@@wasprider7239 The USSR balkanized, so I see no reason why America will not either. It will likely be caused by climate change if anything.

[@schwig44]

@@jtr7377 right? They're actually doing us a favor putting these folks on a list for us to refile under "NEVER TO BE APPOINTED TO THE BENCH". At this point it is fair to say if the FS gives the stamp of approval, it should be a pole with a million red flags during the appointment process. But of course this is one of the objectively crap timelines, so a FS stamp of approval is judicial lube instead, and that's how we find the scotus in the shape it's in.

[@acastanza]

Right? That alone shows that she's corrupt and should be grounds for her ruling to be thrown out. The Federalist society is a legalistic terrorist organization.

[@irishlostboy]

Did Chevron Imprison Environmental Lawyer Steve Donziger: Short version. Yes.

[@divedweller4295]

US courts: We're not going to try this case. Go try it in this other place. Also US courts: This case's findings are irrelevant. Absolute incompetence.

[@queenophiuca4999]

Not incompetence, malevolence. Stop giving them the benefit of the doubt.

[@Sereaphim]

What Chevron did sounds like something a villain from captain plantet would do....

[@doc.rankin577]

Reminds me of that Little Caesars Pizza commercial: "it's all perfectly legal."

[@rhov-anion]

Captain Planet was based on precisely these sorts of tactics.

[@Septimus_ii]

It's been like that for at least 2 centuries - plenty of real life stories for fiction to draw from

[@SelkieGirl]

I'm not the smartest person when it comes to this, but it sure sounds like Chevron is sueing one guy for the things that they have also been doing.

[@GoCoyote]

It often appears to me that those such as Chevron who commit crimes are the best at knowing how to defend themselves and blame others for those same crimes. The tragedy is the people who have had their livelihoods and homes destroyed by this corrupt uncaring corporate system who would rather add insult to injury than take a pro life stance for real people. This is why I support electric cars and clean energy. It is time to take away their monetary incentives to destroy our planet.

[@SelkieGirl]

Toddlers then. They're goddamn toddlers then.

[@kayeka4123]

@@SelkieGirl If only. Toddlers act largely out of ignorance, and will eventually grow up. This is a giant corporation using their money and influence to get away with horrendous crimes.

[@ErebosGR]

@@GoCoyote I hope you don't support Tesla then.

[@GoCoyote]

@@ErebosGR I do in fact support Tesla and other electric auto manufacturers. Electric cars are slightly more carbon intensive to build, but prevent about 60 percent less carbon from entering the atmosphere than an equivalent ICE vehicle. It also takes on average between 4 to 8 kWhrs of energy to make each gallon of gasoline and diesel, 2 to 4 kWhrs of that are equivalent heat energy created from burning oil or natural gas, and 2 to 4 kWhrs of that are directly from grid supplied electricity. And since clean energy was 20% of electricity produced in June of this year in the USA, driving an electric vehicle will only get cleaner. This will also allow people to fuel their vehicles themselves from their independently produced power. I have hardly gone to a gas station in the last two years, and it costs me nothing to drive other than the initial cost of my PV array. While no industry or company is perfect, Tesla has done a lot to start the ball rolling to get us away from fossil fuels. When people ask how recyclable the batteries are, I ask them how recyclable their last fill up at the gas pump was.

[@gideonfyah1]

When the court is corrupt contempt is appropriate.

[@Spamsgood]

“If an injustice requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law. Let your life be a counter-friction to stop the government machine.” -Henry David Thoreau

[@schwig44]

@@Spamsgood the problem is, the gears of government need a lot of sand to bind up and there's only one grain every now and then willing to face the consequences of jumping in the gears. Kinda how a mass suicide event is likely to yield massive societal change, but it never happens. That would be the ultimate protest to ruin the corporations, but it kinda defeats the purpose of trying to live freely, so it's never even mentioned, though it is a tactic that would cripple any entity targeted by it. I guess they call it falling on your sword for a reason

[@mitchellsmith4601]

No judge who is a member of the Federalist Society should hear this case, it’s a conflict. Oh, and no judge who is a member of the Federalist Society should sit on any bench, anywhere. Judges are supposed to be impartial, and no member of the Federalist Society is capable of setting aside his or her biases.

[@CoachmanMet]

That's like 1000 judges you want effectively disbarred... Pretty broad brushes we are painting with here

[@HollowGolem]

@@CoachmanMet it's a shame the Federalist society has tainted so much of the judiciary. That's not our problem. It's the result of appointments going back decades

[@drmajalis1583]

@@CoachmanMet good, get rid of all of them

[@rcbrascan]

Donald Trump only appointed judges approved by the Federalist Society, including the 3 Supreme Court justices so the courts are dominated by conservative judges. But the judge hearing the Donziger case actually interpreted the laws correctly so it didn't matter if the judge is associated with the Federalist Society as the findings would likely be the same but the punishment more discretionary. Legal Eagle in the video confirmed this.

[@acat6145]

That is a ascertain you cannot possibly sustain well at least not in criminal court

[@whodoc226]

Objection: This whole thing is corrupt front to back and someone independent needs to investigate this whole fustercluck

[@PittsburghSportsFan43]

Pretty much everyone at Chevron should be in jail.

[@EvilGNU]

water is wet ?

[@ethanc94]

@@EvilGNU oil is dirty...

[@dr.floridamanphd]

@@ethanc94, pork is tasty?

[@leetri]

@@EvilGNU Obligatory pedantic comment that points out that water is actually not wet, it only makes other things wet.

[@Xbob42]

@@leetri If you pour water on water, do they make each other wet?

[@kasskieren6914]

You left out the judge's links to chevron, you left out the government prosecutor wanted nothing to do with this because there was no case against Donzinger, so the Chevron judge appointed a chevron lawyer to act as private prosecutor. You left so much out.

[@billiecruz4399]

These seem like huge things to leave out. . .

[@badredfinn2982]

These facts are often left out. Hence, my comments: if anyone thinks this is how the law SHOULD work, that is exactly what's wrong with this system.

[@donaldpyper4627]

This seems like a way to tell the story without getting sued..

[@TheRandomzcookie]

i dont feel like any of this was really left out. it's definitely hinted at. legal eagle's just saving himself from voicing an opinion, and that's understandable for someone who has to work within the legal system.

[@HollowGolem]

@@TheRandomzcookie not quite an opinion. He would be voicing an inconvenient fact. And shove on his already shown that they're willing to ruin a man's career for exposing inconvenient facts.

[@darkonc2]

I think that what Donziger should have done is counter-sue Chevron for *their own* RICO violations. Ironically he might have been able to use their case against him as a precedent.

[@charisma-hornum-fries]

Sounds like it.

[@danh5132]

“Your Honor, I’m suing today because I was found guilty for doing the EXACT SAME SHIT THEY’VE BEEN DOING. I rest my case.”

[@LabGecko]

Unfortunately he doesn't have the money they do, so they'd create some exception

[@dzd2371]

Glad you did this video, not enough people have been talking about this case and this poor guy that has to be fearing for his life at this point.

[@kefkaZZZ]

Can we talk about how masterful Chevron was in winning at everything despite being absolutely responsible for the destruction of the Amazon Forest? Also we could talk about the concept of Justice existing only for those who have the money to pay for it.

[@karl-erlendmikalsen5159]

Might the reason that he acted with contempt for the court be that the court acted contemptible?

[@Vohlfied]

👏

[@Kobolds_in_a_trenchcoat]

Not sure that holds legal ground but nicely phrased

[@alm5851]

🤣

[@captainrev4959]

I just don’t understand why didn’t hand of the documents.

[@themightymcb7310]

@@captainrev4959 they asked him to hand over his laptop. He refused because that laptop contains personal information on his clients and would violate his confidentiality with his clients.

[@dominomasked]

"I'm writing a story where Chevron gets an environmental lawyer arrested!" "That seems implausible..." "It involves RICO and The Hague!" "That... doesn't help."

[@therrydicule]

"It's a true crime, with sources in legal document and journalistic sources." "What? How?!"

[@SirStanleytheStumbler]

Objection: 600 days of home confinement before the trial? what happened to the right to a speedy trial?

[@Kobolds_in_a_trenchcoat]

Or not to be imprisoned without due process? Admittedly, house arrest, not imprisonment but still.

[@TysonJensen]

Hahahahahahaha… oh wait, you’re serious. Let me laugh harder… The word “speedy” is defined by lawyers to mean “before the heat death of the Universe.” You’ll never win an argument in court that the court should move at a reasonable speed.

[@TheDeadnaughty]

@@Kobolds_in_a_trenchcoat The wonders of a Contempt of Court charge. You simply get thrown in jail (or placed under house arrest) until you comply with the court. No questions asked and no limits on your confinment.

[@ignitionfrn2223]

1:20 - Chapter 1 - The amazon chernobyl 1:45 - Chapter 2 - Chevron V Donzinger 2:45 - Chapter 3 - How bad was the situation in ecuador ? 3:05 - Chapter 4 - The lago agrio lawsuit 7:30 - Chapter 5 - Chevron V Steve Donzinger 9:30 - Chapter 6 - Judge guera testimony 13:15 - Chapter 7 - Donzinger contempt trial 20:50 - End roll ads

[@stairmasternem]

I listened to a podcast where this guy gave an interview. If he was in a kangaroo court designed to punish him for winning a case against a large company, I can understand his resistance. Here’s hoping he wins in the end, whatever that is.

[@Stoned_apeTheory22]

Thankyou for covering this. It's not really in the media.

[@tiskahar9738]

Pretty smart move by Chevron. Request that the case be moved to Ecuador so that either A) Chevron is able to abuse the court and win it there or B) Force their opponent to abuse the court and thus render it moot Sure seems like the US Court system is complicit in that it is the reason why the case was sent to Ecuador in the first place.

[@Ashitaka255]

they did C. Accuse the plaintiff of abuse, lose, and still not pay out cos the US courts won't enforce an Ecuadorian judgement.

[@bradydelvecchio]

Wait, biggest question I have is why is a judge denying discovery in to a very strange relationship between chevron and Borja?

[@EdaugEthanbYT]

The answer: Captitalism

[@TheGrinningViking]

The courts have recently found that corporations can't be held legally responsible here for crimes in other countries, and that justice must be sought in the jurisdiction. Why is an American lawyer being bought up on legal charges for alleged crime committed in another country?

[@alexandrorocca7142]

What's concerning is that the people deciding his fate have ties with Chevron or with someone else who does it.

[@khoryos1]

"A lawyer should know you can't take the law into your own hands", says the privately appointed judge. And they say irony is dead!

[@garythecyclingnerd6219]

I suspect Preska and Kaplan of getting Chevron kickbacks.

[@naerbo19]

The US is the land of the free (companies), home of the brave (companies). Isn't it Nestle who don't want water to be a human right, because they use a lot of water in their food production? *Edit: Nestle is Swiss, not american.

[@SingleTrackMined]

Nestle takes tremendous amounts of water from public drinking sources and pays $1 per 100 cubic feet of water in California. Then they bottle it and sell it for what, a dollar per pint? They don't want water to be a human right because they would then have stop nearly stealing it to sell at great profit.

[@Kobolds_in_a_trenchcoat]

@@SingleTrackMined I thought they paid significantly less but that might be other areas. Also, water stocks, as in literally just buying the substance water on the market is rapidly becoming a thing... and lots of people are going to go without water as a result. Don't buy bottled water anyway unless you have a good reason, it's effectively just tap water with a fancy label.

[@SingleTrackMined]

@@Kobolds_in_a_trenchcoat I googled the price this morning. I may have gotten wrong info but either way even $1/100 cu ft isn't much.

[@naerbo19]

@@---nu4ed My bad. I assumed it was american. I'll edit the comment.

[@naerbo19]

@@Kobolds_in_a_trenchcoat Yeah. Have you heard of VOSS Water? It's Norwegian tap water. That being said, we use very little chlorine in our drinking water than other countries.

[@mindovomatter5181]

5:22 whoa hold up!!!!!! How are we just sliding past an obvious witness payoff and a judge that said that’s not a big deal!? Wtf!?!? That is huge! Who is the judge and what are his ties!? How does justify not wanting to know about a clear pay off of a witness and how is that pay off not as bad as anything this guy did? What is going on here?! 😳

[@geoffo7865]

thanks so much for the deep dive. i asked for you to cover this topic about 4 months ago and there it is. love your channel!

[@apjtv2540]

'Oil' be surprised, but pleasantly so, if Chevron actually ends up on the losing side of things after all this.

[@01001010010001001100]

Unless the fine/penalties are increased then they still won. They were allowed to make use of almost 10 billion in capital for over 20 year. At a low interest rate of return of 4% they could afford to pay the settlement using just the interest from that original 9.5 Billion.

[@Septimus_ii]

They've already lost, but they don't fancy facing any of the consequences so they chose not to

[@cosmicgiraffe4071]

Why is this video arguing from the perspective of the judge and the findings of that court when the credibility and impartiality of said judge and special counsel are heavily in question? Shouldn’t you mention in detail his allegations against the prosecution?

[@macelharen]

from reading the comments i'm coming to the conclusion that Legal Eagle did his utter best to get everyone to read between the lines he probably was trying very hard not to explicitly say

[@HollowGolem]

@@macelharen Chevron has already shown that they're willing to end a lawyer's career by any means necessary. He's trying to keep his hands clean as much as possible.

[@MrSlowestD16]

This video did not argue anything. He purely stated the decisions found by the various courts in each case and the sequence of major filings/events. He didn't pass personal judgement, he didn't argue anything - this is what "just the facts" looks like. "Just the facts" doesn't look like a biased rant, as you seem to have expected.

[@波紋小石]

Cosmic Giraffe, this is likely a key difference between a law review video and a journalistic one. You can see a video that spells out the implications in John Oliver's recent coverage of the Sackler bankruptcy. There, the Sacklers picked a judge for their case based on his record approving broad blocks on liability. In that case, the Sacklers mean to block all family liability and deny all victims their day in court, even though its Perdue's bankruptcy, not the Sacklers'. It also seems like it will work. Forum shopping accomplished. In this case, Chevron executed a solid legal strategy. They bought up Texoco, its assets and liabilities. When Steve Donziger led Ecuadorian victims to court in New York, Chevron spent ten years pushing the litigation to Ecuador. It looks like they expected to exhaust the victims in that time. If outspending in NY didn't work, they likely planned to either pay off officials and win in Ecuador, or pay off officials to cast doubt on any adverse ruling in Ecuador. Heads we win, tails you lose. That shouldn't be legal, but who writes these laws? So in the present case, they're not only Slapping Donziger with disbarment, house arrest, and contempt of court. The only way he can comply is by giving a judge who agreed to dance to Chevron's tune all of his communications with his clients and others and trusting that they will respect his attorney client privilege, etc. Would you trust this judge with your clients' personal information? This is the kind of ask that journalists go to jail for, to protect their sources. In the end, Chevron not only escapes judgment, it punishes any lawyers who try to help their victims and threatens any victims daring to come forward and talk with American attorneys. Looking at all the ways Donziger tried and failed to fix this within the U.S. justice system becomes an indictment of that system. It's independent enough to throw Trump et al. 2020 election claims out, but it has no patience for claims that U.S. companies owe non-Americans money. Federalist Society judges are either "America First" in principle or rule as such to profit from Chevron stocks and contributions. Either way, our courts look corrupt. That a majority of our Supreme Court was lifetime appointed for Federalist Society membership makes this look like a problem only a multigenerational struggle will solve. But Legal Eagle presents evidence for most of that, without editorializing as to its meaning and implications. I think that's brilliant. If you look at the frame, their choice of the relevant information to present reveals both sides of the controversy in their best light, giving us a chance to judge. So, if you trust Judge Kaplan, despite the evidence, even two years of house arrest might be appropriate and further sentencing could be too. If you are sympathetic to the Ecuadorians and see this as a Chevron SLAPP scam, this video exposes that too. Of course, it doesn't cover every important aspect, such as Ecuadorian victories in Canadian courts, Kaplan's stock in Chevron, the hired prosecutor being a Chevron client, or National Lawyers' Guild filing a judicial complaint on behalf of hundreds of attorneys against Kaplan for ethical violations in 2020. But, overall, Legal Eagle offered a very illuminating take for all sides and I hope the team produces more content like this.

[@human498]

As Legal Eagle stated his opinion that the specifics of the contempt charge - i.e. the withholding by Donziger of his own attorney-client protected devices - to be aligned with the court. He implies that it's a proper request because it happens all the time that judges review privileged documents, with various ways to protect the information. However, he disregards that this judge has ruled in favor of Chevron in every judgement; & ignores that the judge is literally *working for Chevron* in this case, choosing to pursue a prosecution, instead of being impartial. This is clearly not an impartial, "just the facts" video.

[@ChaoticGoodDeeds]

I have been waiting on this one, thanks for speaking on it! I am curious why you didn't tackle the connections Preska and Kaplan have to Chevron?

[@jpdtrmpt7217]

Me too! It's a pretty big miss!

[@pearltothejam]

So the judge basically said “you may think all the aspects of our judicial system is arrayed against you and you may be right but the institutions are important and we must protect them (even if they’re corrupted) so you gotta follow the rules “

[@grantharriman284]

This much evidence sees a private citizen thrown in jail for the majority of their natural life, but a corporation, that gets off with a bit of bad press and a fine. This is the kind of thing that should see them dissolved as an entity, and their executives thrown in jail for the majority of their natural lives.

[@jannepeltonen2036]

I've always wondered how lawyers in the US stay sane. The legal system over there is so obviously horribly broken, even more so than any other countries I know about.

[@petestanton1945]

They get 2 make a lot of money so they can drive German cars

[@Freekymoho]

As long as you're lawyering for the side with all of the money its a great system

[@Xandropolis]

You must know about few countries

[@ParadoxicalThird]

They make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to be literal class traitors; Lawyers love their jobs. Sure it's hard work, but it keeps you above the proles until actual changes happen. And if you're important enough, you get silently and non-traceably bribed for millions of dollars to interpret the law a certain way.

[@Indigo1559]

So happy you're finally covering this

[@MattCuzns]

Going by the logic that Chevron used to move their case to Ecuador, couldn't Donzinger have argued the same thing? It's not a US thing if he lied in an Ecuadorian court

[@Mitsoxfan]

This is exactly why Chevron moved the case. They knew that corruption in Ecuador was an easier sell than in the US. I wouldn't be surprised if Chevron orchestrated this whole thing.

[@jayr6637]

By your logic US citizens living in a foreign country shouldn't be required to fill out a US tax return each year... yet that is the law even for US citizens who haven't been back to the US for years. There's a myriad of jurisdictional quirks to US laws, sometimes this allows justice to be served, and other times it allows you to be bent over and feel like a pretty boy in prison!

[@TheDeadnaughty]

This is not about whether or not Donzinger lies in an Ecuadorian court. The contempt charge and his confinment is about refusing to hand over his possessions to the US court where Chevron later sued him. The contempt of court case is entirely isolated and only resolves around whether or not he complied with the orders of the US court.

[@MattCuzns]

@@TheDeadnaughty but the US court shouldn't have had the jurisdiction to look into the matter at all, right? It should've been a court in Ecuador hearing that case. If Chevron could move the first case there, couldn't Donzinger?

[@TheDeadnaughty]

@@MattCuzns But the contempt charge didn't come from the case in Ecuador. After the Ecuador case Chevron sued Donzinger in the US. And during that case in the US Donzinger refused to comply with court orders. Again, whether that case had merit or should have been held in Ecuador doesn't matter for this. It was in the US and Donzinger refused a court order from a US court. Hence he is now being held in Contempt of Court.

[@DanG-xl5op]

I'm not a lawyer, he talks fast, and I was mildly-moderately inebriated while watching. With that said, I thought it was a great video that explained the legal arguments in a way that I could understand and, more importantly, a lot of effort was put into keeping the explanation neutral. Kudos, good sir!

[@Rod934]

Thank you for doing this. I've been waiting for your break down of this situation. 👍

[@SingleTrackMined]

It seems to me there should be a statute saying there has to be some sort of equality of representation. When a lawyer argues a case against a phalanx of lawyers hired by the wealthiest of wealthy corporations there is a fundamental and irremediable power differential that no court can be immune to. With nearly unlimited resources this team of powerful lawyers can turn the law on its head while no one has the resources to oppose them. The justice system should not be run where they who have the most eloquent counsel win instead of who has the actual law on their side. I've been in court and no one, not one single person involved, cared on iota about the truth and facts of the case, just who could tell a better story. “Couldn't help but make me feel ashamed to live in a land where justice is a game.” - Robert Zimmerman

[@OmnipotentNoodle]

We have checks and balances on power in our government, but Money Is Power,,,, *and there are no checks and balances on money*

[@canuckereh9202]

I've always liked Bob Dylan. 👍🏼

[@dr.floridamanphd]

I remember reading about this earlier this year but the details were lacking.

[@YourRealName1]

The podcast drilled did a whole season on this recently.

[@breakingbadheisenberg9703]

Go read the Intercept

[@lucynunya8180]

I’ve been so confused about why a case won in Ecuador could be an issue in the US. This case is really disturbing thing, from beginning to end. @legaleagle - what is your personal opinion?

[@efremvercaigne7265]

Especially since it was Chevron which insisted on the case being done in Ecuador in the first place...

[@Kobolds_in_a_trenchcoat]

@@efremvercaigne7265 also helping the key witness in the second case move to the u.s. nothing fishy here (because chevron poisoned all the fish), nothing at all.

[@Alverant]

Corporations don't believe in responsiblity.

[@temperededge]

I imagine his personal opinion is that he doesn't want to be under house arrest too.

[@bamboospout]

As an aspiring lawyer, let me share that good lawyers don’t have personal opinions. Hahahaha

[@JABRIEL251]

"Crime does pay", realest shit I've ever heard.

[@ArtificialGamingIntelligence]

"Attack on the rule of law" lol obeying a corrupt judge would be an abdication of his constitutional rights.

[@Alverant]

So Chevron did the same things as Donziger except moreso and wasn't punished because they're a corporation.

[@icarue993]

~This is America~

[@sarahthompson2386]

Not even that. The witness who attested that he was bribed by Donziger later recanted their testimony and has said that chevron in fact paid him to lie. This is pure corruption and intimidation by the company in order to punish for seeking justice against them and dissuade it.

[@jefflittle8913]

You are missing the big picture here. Chevron is *paying the salaries* of the people going forward with the prosecution.

[@AT-rr2xw]

I might have to watch this again later on at half speed.

[@euansmith3699]

Half the speed; double the depressing 😢

[@RedPanda79]

Those poor people losing their water

[@reynoldsmathey]

Thank You for covering this! I knew it couldn't pass your legal radar for long. Important to bring attention to this travesty.

[@BusinessCasual]

Best ad transition ever. xD

[@jonathanperry8331]

I wonder how many trees you need to cut down to make 220,000 pieces of paper. South America just can't catch a break. Even the lawsuit is destroying the rainforest

[@dr.floridamanphd]

On average about 10-20,000 sheets of paper per tree. So upwards of 11 trees.

[@Freekymoho]

I dont think much paper is made from rainforrest trees. Deforrestation in the area is primarily due to agricultural expansion

[@jonathanperry8331]

@@Freekymoho Dude I was just cracking a cheeky joke. Why is everyone gotta get all technical about it.

[@falleithani5411]

​@@jonathanperry8331 Poe's Law.

[@jonathanperry8331]

@@falleithani5411 that was interesting I didn't know about that. I have realized that text messages and comments can the interpreted a hundred different ways by 100 different people because there's no voice inflection or facial expression. I didn't know there was an actual word for this phenomena

[@bodaciouschad]

So if a judge rules that you've got to jump off a bridge and you, *sensibly,* refuse and have that irrational punishment appealed, you can still be convicted of contempt of court against a bogus penalty? Is that a fair analogy here?

[@NAJALU]

Nah, it's a bit of a straw man because the punishments are also constrained by the law and the constitution. So jumping off a bridge is out.

[@Vohlfied]

@N. L. The house arrest is 4x what a prison sentence would be, so, _not_ always constrained by law. It is a bit of a strawman, but, in this case, not ludicrous.

[@bodaciouschad]

@@Vohlfied Though jumping off a bridge is an extreme, they did ask him to turn over a decade+ of confidential records between himself and another country's indigenous people. He will never be able to represent the tribespeople again: how can they trust him when he turns over documents to the US government? Its the same morally compromising situation as working with chinese companies knowing full and well any information you share with them can and will find it's way to the regime. The courts have effectively killed his career, imprisoned him without trial indefinitely and denied him a trial by jury in a timely manner. They might as well tell him to jump, because they've left him with nothing.

[@lucia_kidtech]

This is messed up like really messed up. I hate late stage captlism

[@J0SHUAKANE]

Its not capitalism if its illegal.

[@normtrooper4392]

@@J0SHUAKANE there are two justice systems. One for the rich and one for the poor. The legality of this means nothing if the justice system cannot stop it from happening

[@J0SHUAKANE]

@@normtrooper4392 thats not exclusive to capitalism.

[@mollistuff]

Legal is whatever the legal system decides to enforce

[@Jablicek]

Don't worry, it won't last too much longer.

[@restorer19]

Do private citizens have any reasonable chance of recourse for excessive imprisonment time between a confinement and a judgement of "time served", when the standard of punishment is much less than the actual "time served"?

[@notmyname327]

I had heard about this case and it's really disheartening to see that Chevron won't pay for the damage done. I almost don't care about Donzinger's contempt case because it seems like it's a technical issue where he may be in the wrong by doing the right thing, but the fact that Chevron can so easily and openly bribe witnesses and judges and never pay for the damage it has caused just makes me mad. I hope there is still a chance to make them pay up.

[@WildDog79]

You should do a video on Scarlett Johansson suing Disney

[@pictonomii3295]

I second this.

[@1911Prof]

Please do this

[@macelharen]

TL;DW?

[@macelharen]

@Derrick Pino ahhhhh...that proves intent. more fool them.

[@WildDog79]

@Derrick Pino but after this Disney is never gonna hire her. And Warner Bros and HBO will also never hire her. So, isn't it career suicide

[@TheCrispAlien]

The biggest takeaway for me is that lawyers cook with their suits under an apron with a gavel within arm's reach.

[@DFishFan]

Have been wondering about this case for a while. Thanks for clearing some things up.

[@Xheanortxiii]

The production quality of this channel is excellent

[@bretbret8293]

I'm glad you're talking about this. It's crazy even the context of (how much I know about) our own legal system.

[@jedgrahek1426]

Thank you for bringing this to people's attention. I've only ever heard about it via Democracy Now, and I expect most people are unaware of any of this.

[@vallraffs]

Share it around if you can, getting attention to this case is important. There's frightfully little news coverage (wonder why). The defense also has a website, laying out the story and where anyone can donate. FreeDonziger dot com, I believe.

[@charisma-hornum-fries]

You can probably do the research and find out how many of the corporate private media houses are owned by or funded by Chevron. And it's absolutely manufactured consent.

[@valentintihenea]

I think it’s incredibly important that people, myself included, take to heart what LegalEagle always says in his videos, “Let’s think like a lawyer” because this truly is a case of that. You or I, or Devon himself might have a personal opinion of the case itself. We might even all agree that this case is Chevron retaliating and trying to crush the opposition, but that is a social justice perspective, not a legal analysis. Devon is providing a legal analysis of the case, and that is both important to note, and a helpful service to us non legal experts.

[@Kobolds_in_a_trenchcoat]

It also may have been incomplete, eagle left out that the judge in the recent trial and the prosecutor both have financial connections to chevron, at least according to multiple other commenters. I'm not a lawyer and don't know about the specifics but it does reek of further corruption and seems a bit slappy either way.

[@pamelamays4186]

The true victims in this matter are the people in Ecuador whose home was totally trashed by Big Oil.

[@cameron398]

The worst part of this ordeal is all Chevron had to do was willingly start cleaning up the mess. It would have taken decades less and helped the people whose land is destroyed.

[@RmcBlueSky]

Thanks for clarifying this. As Ecuador is one of the countries that is dear to my heart, I worry about its issues.