A Southeast Louisiana jury ruled oil company Chevron must pay more than $740 million dollars to restore damage it caused to coastal wetlands following a landmark trial more than a decade in the making.

The case was the first of dozens of pending lawsuits to reach trial in Louisiana against the world’s leading oil companies for their role in accelerating land loss along the state’s rapidly disappearing coast. The verdict – which Chevron says it will appeal – could set a precedent leaving other oil and gas firms on the hook for billions of dollars in damages tied to land loss and environmental degradation.

Jurors found that energy giant Texaco, acquired by Chevron in 2001, had for decades violated Louisiana regulations governing coastal resources by failing to restore wetlands impacted by dredging canals, drilling wells and billions of gallons of wastewater dumped into the marsh.

The jury awarded $575 million to compensate for land loss, $161 million to compensate for contamination and $8.6 million for abandoned equipment — a total of $744.6 million. Including interest from when the lawsuit was filed in 2013, the amount earmarked for restoration exceeds $1.1 billion, according to attorneys for Talbot, Carmouche & Marcello, the firm behind the lawsuit.

    • LilB0kChoy@lemm.ee
      1·
      50 minutes ago

      I suppose it could work if the world worked like a baby playing peek-a-boo. Except there’s a few obvious problems like the fact that the civil judgment would remain even after a pardon for murder and the fact that a criminal charge of murder or conspiracy to commit would likely be brought against individuals, not the corporation.