A San Francisco judge, Justice Susan Ilston of the United States District court has denied Chevron’s motion to access costs in its bid to collect almost half a million dollars as cost from indigent Nigerian villagers who had challenged the company over its atrocious behavior which led to the death of two villagers and injuries to several others in a raid on the Parabe platform in the ilaje Community in 1998.
Late last year US jury empanelled by the court had ruled that Chevron was not guilty over the death of the villagers even though its head of security James Neku coordinated the airlifting of the soldiers ( in helicopters paid for by Chevron) to the Parabe platform and was present when the villagers who had peacefully occupied the facility were shot by the Nigerian “Kill and Go police and the Navy. Chevron argued that they did not shoot the villagers neither did they authorize the shootings. The company also claimed that the 1998 incident was a kidnap coordinated by ilaje pirates! To deter future litigation from angry and injured villagers the "powerful economic actor" according to Judge Ilston returned to court seeking costs from villagers that had been bankrupted by criminal oil exploration activities in Ilajeland.
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The pronouncement of Justice Ilston puts Chevron firmly in a bind and opens new avenues for lawyers defending the villagers who have vowed to go on appeal.
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