Supreme Court to review Exxon Valdez award
The high court will determine if the $2.5 billion in punitive damages owed for the 1989 Alaska oil spill is excessive.
The high court will determine if the $2.5 billion in punitive damages owed for the 1989 Alaska oil spill is excessive.
B-S. Exxon didn't pay nearly enough for the damage caused by the Valdez spill...
Statement by Exxpose Exxon
October 29, 2007
The Supreme Court announced this morning that it will hear the long and tired case of the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. After 18 years, this is ExxonMobil's last stand against the victims of the spill who have been battling the oil giant for justice for close to two decades."This case is a nightmare for the thousands of people whose livelihoods are still impacted by the spill," said Shawnee Hoover, campaign director of Exxpose Exxon, a coalition of environmental groups that have been pressuring ExxonMobil to pay the court-ordered damages for the spill."Although we're confident the Court will rule in favor of the spill victims, it's disheartening that the plaintiff's request to reinstate the original $5 billion award was denied. There's clearly more at stake for the victims of the spill than for ExxonMobil. Many fishing families have had liens placed on their anticipated settlements in lieu of payments on fishing permits. Even if the victims finally do get payment, some may never see a penny and will still have to pay taxes on the payment amount," she added.The infamous spill that oiled 1,300 miles of pristine beaches and surface waters and killed hundreds of thousands of marine animals is the world’s most ecologically devastating oil spill to date. Since the court-ordered damages were first awarded in 1994, 6,000 plaintiffs have died without compensation from the company. ExxonMobil argues that it has already spent billions on the clean-up of the disaster. While that may be true, the 33,000 victims who formed a class action lawsuit and have never received a dime in compensation from ExxonMobil.“It says a lot about ExxonMobil’s character that it continues to fight the families whose livelihoods were destroyed by the oil spill, especially when the company made nearly $40 billion in profit last year,” said Anna Aurilio of U.S. Public Interest Research Group.After 18 years of court battles, ExxonMobil petitioned the Supreme Court as a last resort in August 2007. The threat of $5 billion in punitive damages, slashed in August to $2.5 billion plus interest, has failed to deter the poor behavior of the world's wealthiest oil giant. ExxonMobil is the only oil company continuing to operate a single-hulled oil vessel in the Prince William Sound area.
-----------------------Can we trust the Roberts Court?
