The Environmental Lawyer Chevron Put Behind Bars Is Finally Free
He beat them in court, and the company used the justice system to lock him up — everyone should know the Steven Donziger case
Imagine if instead of a movie telling my story, I’d gone to jail. That’s essentially what has happened to Steve Donziger. — Erin Brockovich
This is one of the most horrific case studies of corporate control over all of America, including the justice system. A corporation was, in effect, the prosecutor, judge, jury, and sentencer. Chevron got beat in a foreign court, never paid a cent of the settlement, spent millions using its influence to crucify the lawyer that beat them, and they won.
Steven Donziger spent almost three years in detention because he dared stand up to corporate power.
The UN in 2019 ruled that his treatment was against international law, including his right to a fair trial, a fair judge, and the right to be free from arbitrary detention — of course, America has never really cared about human rights.
Every American should know this case because I think it is a window into the future. Chevron, fossil fuel companies, and corporations, in general, see this as a case study for what’s to come.
