Law of the Jungle.

• Author: Mandell, David
• Position: Book review

Law of the Jungle

By Paul M. Barrett

For generations, Texaco was the place you could trust your car to the man who wears the star. In 1993, activists set out to change that. Accusing Texaco of polluting the Ecuadorean rain forest, they began a legal battle spanning two decades and two continents. In Law of the Jungle, Paul M. Barrett recounts the bitter struggle.

In 1967, oil was discovered in Ecuador's Oriente. Texaco pumped it until 1992 when Ecuador's national company, Petroecuador, took over. Barrett points out that environmental standards were much lower than those of today As it left Ecuador, Texaco was granted immunity from environmental damage. Texaco became part of Chevron and its familiar star disappeared.

Texaco's legacy was a federal law suit alleging that its oil fields caused disease and destruction to the Oriente. Citing the 1789 Alien Tort Statute, the suit was filed in New York. Barrett points out how random events impact a suit. A federal judge allowed the suit to proceed in New York, but upon his death, his successor moved it to Ecuador.

Barrett demonstrates the differences between Ecuador's judiciary and America's. Judges rotated throughout the case. Ex parte conversations with judges were routine, even if not officially allowed. Both sides acted aggressively, but Barrett is particularly hard on the lawyers suing Chevron. A judge was threatened with a sexual harassment complaint if his ruling was unfavorable to them and a supposedly neutral court expert was given a report to present as his own. A documentary featuring the lead counsel was shown...