American lawyer, human rights activist (born 1961)
Steven Donziger
Donziger in 2022
Born
(1961-09-14) September 14, 1961 (age 62)
Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Education
American University (BA)
Harvard University (JD)
Occupation
Human rights lawyer
Criminal charges
Contempt of court
Criminal penalty
6 months imprisonment
Steven Robert Donziger (born September 14, 1961)[1] is an American attorney known for his legal battles with Chevron, particularly Aguinda v. Texaco, Inc. and other cases in which he represented over 30,000 farmers and indigenous people who suffered environmental damage and health problems caused by oil drilling in the Lago Agrio oil field of Ecuador. The Ecuadorian court awarded the plaintiffs $9.5 billion ($12.7 billion in 2023 dollars[2]) in damages, which led Chevron to withdraw its assets from Ecuador and launch legal action against Donziger in the US. In 2011, Chevron filed a RICO (anti-corruption) suit against Donziger in New York City. The case was heard by US District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, who determined that the ruling of the Ecuadorian court could not be enforced in the US because it was procured by fraud, bribery, and racketeering activities. As a result of this case, Donziger was disbarred from practicing law in New York in 2018.
Donziger was placed under house arrest in August 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of criminal contempt of court, which arose during his appeal against Kaplan's RICO decision, when he refused to turn over electronic devices he owned to Chevron's forensics experts.[3][4] In July 2021, US District Judge Loretta Preska found him guilty, and Donziger was sentenced to 6 months in jail in October 2021.[3] While Donziger was under house arrest in 2020, twenty-nine Nobel laureates described the actions taken by Chevron against him as "judicial harassment." Human rights campaigners called Chevron's actions an example of a strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP).[5] In April 2021, six members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus demanded that the Department of Justice review Donziger's case.[6] In September 2021, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stated that the pre-trial detention imposed on Donziger was illegal and called for his release.[7] Having spent 45 days in prison and a combined total of 993 days under house arrest, Donziger was released on April 25, 2022.[8][9]
In June 2022, a federal appeals court affirmed Donziger's criminal contempt conviction.[10] In March 2023 the Supreme Court declined to hear further appeals.[11]
^@SDonziger (September 14, 2021). "Still strong as I turn 60 tomorrow. My third consecutive birthday on house arrest; the third straight year my son started school with his father wearing an ankle bracelet. I am on Day 769 of detention for a 'crime' where longest sentence is three months. Hard to fathom" (Tweet). Retrieved September 15, 2021 – via Twitter.
^Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved November 30, 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
^ abCite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference contempt was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Watts, Jonathan (April 18, 2020). "Nobel laureates condemn 'judicial harassment' of environmental lawyer". The Guardian. Archived from the original on February 28, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
^Stancil, Kenny (April 28, 2021). "House Dems ask AG Garland to review Chevron's 'unjust legal assault' on Steven Donziger". Common Dreams. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
^Noor, Dharna (September 30, 2021). "UN Says Steven Donziger's House ARrest Violates International Law". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on September 30, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
^"Steven Donziger on Twitter: "BREAKING: It's over. Just left with release papers in hand. Completely unjust that I spent even 1 day in this Kafkaesque situation. Not looking back. Onward.👊❤️…". Twitter. Archived from the original on April 25, 2022. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
^"Lawyer Steven Donziger on Leaving House Arrest & His Fight with Chevron". Democracy Now!. Archived from the original on April 28, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
^"Contempt conviction upheld for lawyer who won $9.5 BLN Chevron judgment". Reuters. June 22, 2022. Archived from the original on June 23, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
^Raymond, Nate (March 27, 2023). "U.S. Supreme Court lets Chevron foe Donziger's contempt conviction stand". Reuters. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
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