Chevron Can Sue Patton Boggs Over Ecuador Pollution Case, NY Judge Rules

A New York federal judge has given the green light for Chevron to pursue fraud allegations against embattled law firm Patton Boggs for its role supporting controversial plaintiff’s attorney Steven Donziger’s pollution case against the oil giant. Donziger spearheaded the decades-long pollution case, regarding damage done to Ecuador’s rain forests decades ago by a firm Chevron recently acquired, and three years ago an Ecuadorean court levied a $19 billion judgment against Chevron. But the company scored a victory last month when U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan found that Donziger had violated the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act to secure the win in that case. Then, Monday, Kaplan said Chevron could pursue a suit claiming Patton Boggs knew about Donziger’s corrupt practices and helped cover them up. Patton Boggs has denied all wrongdoing.

The case appears to add insult to injury for Patton Boggs, which is struggling to survive a dive in revenue by pursuing a merger with Squire Sanders, and recently lost a score of partners to competing firms.